Now she’s back with B7, her most personal project yet.
she says over the phone from her home in Los Angeles.
“I used that [mindset] as a way to give my all.
Derek Blanks
you might hear my entire heart on this.
It took a while because I didn’t want to rush.”
Brandy was just 15 years old when her 1994 multiplatinum eponymous debut made her a star.
Derek Blanks
Four years later she released her second album,Never Say Never, which hit No.
The song became the first No.
1 hit for both teen idols.
“He was such a light,” says Brandy of Daniels."
“He knew how to bring out the best in me.
He always made me feel comfortable to dig deep outside of my comfort zone.
I just pray he’s proud of what I was able to complete.”
As their work progressed, Krysiuk noticed Brandy stepping into her own as a songwriter.
MakingB7even more personal: The album marks the singer’s first time recording alongside her 18-year-old daughter, Sy’rai.
When the subject turns to working together, Brandy’s voice lights up.
“I had to keep my composure,” she says, of singing with Sy’rai.
I had to keep my composure.
To hear us together, I’m blown away."
“She’s so grounded.
She’s just a solid young lady and I trust her with her life.”
“I wanted it to be honest and authentic,” she says.
I have so much to give, I have so much to share.
My voice is still here, my energy is still creative."
“I was a little bit taken aback,” she says.
“It came with a huge amount of pressure and expectation to be 100 percent.
But I’ve dealt with all that and let it fester.
Now I accept it graciously.”
That’s good news for the R&B community, which unabashedly stans Ms. Norwood.
Jhene Aiko has citedNever Say Neveras a favorite album and once toldBillboardthat Brandy has “the perfect voice.”
“Just musically, production-wise and the writing, it was really good,” Badu toldETin 2016.
“I hadn’t heard anything else like it.”
“When I’m doing my music, if I get down, I can go to that.”
She’s even been a major influence on her collaborators.
“I had always been a Brandy fan,” Krysiuk says.
“The soothing texture of her voice definitely influenced my own sound.”
Of course, Brandy’s influence extends far past her vocals.
“To look back now, there are so many things I’m proud of,” she says.
“I’m grateful and truly blown away.
This story appears inthe August issue ofEntertainment Weekly, out now.
