By the time she was four, Brandy Norwood's parents had moved the family from Mississippi to Los Angeles, in hopes of jump-starting careers for their daughter and son, Willie 'Ray J' Jr, then two. Having soloed in church at the age of two and shown every sign that stardom was in her future, she performed at many West Coast functions as part of a youth singing group and then, barely a teenager herself, landed a gig as backup singer for the teen R&B trio Immature. Next came a regular role on the short-lived ABC series "Thea" (1993-94), and while portraying its precocious teenager Danesha, she auditioned for Atlantic Records and walked away with a contract for her first album, "Brandy" (1994), featuring the syrupy "I Wanna Be Down" and "Brokenhearted". Welcome salve for the battered R&B genre dominated by the brutal lyrics of California funk rap, Brandy brought a squeaky-clean image reminiscent of a pre-Bobby Brown Whitney Houston and a voice, rawer than her mentor Houston, with a range that belied her 14 years.

Her debut album, which has sold more than four million copies, earned Brandy two Grammy nominations, four Soul Train Awards, two Billboard Video Awards and the New York Children's Choice Award. She continued to soar in 1995, receiving her first feature credit as song performer on "Batman Forever" and scoring a huge hit with her "Sittin' Up in My Room" single from the "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack. TV executives, inspired by her energetic style that was hip yet still wholesome, decided she could headline her own sitcom. CBS first bought the pilot for "Moesha", which cast her as an L.A. teen coping with growing up and a new stepmother (Sheryl Lee Ralph), but declined to order the project to series because its younger-skewing demographics were not in line with the rest of the network's line-up. The fledgling UPN (United Paramount Network) jumped at the show, which became an instant hit among teens after its January 1996 debut. Its realistic depiction of black middle-class family life had great universal appeal, and as the ultrahip high schooler Moesha Mitchell, Brandy became a role model and fashion plate, thanks, in part, to her flowing braids, which are styled every three weeks during eight-hour salon sessions.

ABC capitalized on Brandy's good-girl persona by casting her as the star of its remake of "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella" (1997), attracting more than 60 million viewers for its highest rated special in 13 years. "Moesha" had made her a bona fide TV star, but it was singing that was still her first love. VIBE magazine had described her voice as "a spine-chilling vibrato laced with rhythm-and-blues and gospel inflections," but her sophomore album was slow in coming. When it arrived in 1998, "Never Say Never" was well worth the wait, its more reflective and emotionally complex nature proclaiming Brandy an adult. One of the six songs she co-wrote, the duet "This Boy Is Mine" sang with fellow diva-in-training Monica, quickly rose to No 1 on the charts and eventually garnered the pair a Grammy. She continued to grow up in her feature acting debut, the slasher sequel "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer" (1998), which marked the first public appearance of her navel, her first on-screen curse word and her first serious Hollywood make-out session. She followed with the ABC movie "Double Platinum" (1999), executive producing and starring opposite Diana Ross as an estranged mother and daughter in the first project from her production company, Norwood Entertainment Group.

• Also Credited As:
  Brandy, Brandy Norwood, Brandy Rayana Norwood, Eric R. Roth
• Born:
  February 11, 1979 in McComb, Mississippi
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Singer, Model, Producer

Family

• Brother: Ray J. born c. 1981; was a regular on Fox's short-lived "The Sinbad Show" (1993-1994); signed to Atlantic Records
• Daughter: Sy'rai Smith. born June 16, 2002; father, Robert Smith
• Father: Willie Ray Norwood Sr. born c. 1949; also serves as Brandy's vocal coach
• Mother: Sonja Norwood. born c. 1951; manages children's careers; former H&R Block manager

Significant Others

• Companion: Quentin Richardson. engaged July 27, 2004; called off their 15-month engagement in September 2005
• Husband: Robert Smith. married in summer of 2001; announced union in February 2002; father of their child
• Companion: Kobe Bryant. Brandy has described this relationship as "media-conconcted", though the two were prom dates
• Companion: Tyrese. reportedly began dating in 2000
• Companion: Wayna Morris. member of Boyz II Men; conducted a one-and-a-half year relationship; its breakup inspired some of the songs she co-wrote on her second album "Never Say Never" (1998)

Education

• Hollywood High Performing Arts Center, Los Angeles, California
• Pepperdine University, Malibu, California

Milestones

• 1981 Sang her first solo in church when she was two years old (date approximate)
• 1983 Moved with family to California (date approximate)
• 1990 Named Darling of the Brotherhood Crusade; serenaded Arsenio Hall
• 1993 TV series debut, "Thea" (ABC)
• 1994 Release of debut album, "Brandy"; has sold over four million copies
• 1995 First feature credit as a song performer, "Batman Forever", singing "Where Are You Now"
• 1995 Scored huge hit with the "Sittin' Up in My Room" single from the "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack
• 1996 Debut as TV series star in "Moesha", which became the first hit sitcom for UPN
• 1997 Starred in title role opposite mentor Whitney Houston (as the Fairy Godmother) in the ABC remake of "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella"
• 1998 Feature acting debut in "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer"
• 1998 Signed to a worldwide modeling contract with the prestigious Wilhemena International agency
• 1999 Executive produced and starred opposite Diana Ross in ABC TV-movie "Double Platinum"; first production of Norwood Entertainment Group
• 1999 Performed with the likes of Cher, Tina Turner and Houston in "VH1 Divas Live '99"
• 2001 Voiced Leah in the animated feature "Osmosis Jones"
• 2002 Chroniclized the birth of her first child with producer/songwriter Robert Smith on the MTV show "Brandy's Special Delivery"
• 2002 Released third album "Full Moon"; certified platinum
• 2004 Released next album "Afrodisiac"
• Born in Mississippi
• Formed production company Norwood Entertainment Group with mother, father and brother
• Landed a gig as backup singer to the teen R&B trio Immature
• Performed on numerous award shows as part of youth singing group

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