Brandy Biography

Birth Name : Brandy Rayana Norwood

Birth Date : February 11, 1979

Birth Place : McComb, Mississippi, USA

Occupations :singer-songwriter, producer, actress, dancer

Brandy was born in McComb, Mississippi on February 11, 1979. She started singing at Brookhaven church of Christ in Brookhaven, Mississippi at an early age of two and when she was 11, she began working as a backing vocalist for boybands Norment and Immature. Wanting to record her own album, she then sought a record deal with major label but didn't get any until she attended a party held by Atlantic Recording Corporation. After performing in front of the guests, she was then offered a recording contract by the company's executive, Darryl Williams.

Brandy Norwood grew up in a musical home; the influence of her father, a choir director, appears on her two album releases, 1994's Brandy and 1998's Never Say Never. But though singing may have always been her first love, a professional acting gig on the short-lived sitcom Thea was the singer's first big break. Brandy spent that television season simultaneously filming the sitcom and recording her self-titled debut.

In June 2002, Brandy gave birth to a beautiful babygirl named Sy'rai (pronounced "see-rah") Iman Smith. The father is producer Robert Smith aka Big Bert, whom she secretly married the summer before. The two started working on new music a few months later. Expect big things for Brandy in 2004. She is now under Benny Medina's management team. Benny is responsible for successful artists' careers such as Jennifer Lopez and Will Smith. B-Rocka has a new album, 'Afrodisiac,' due out June 29.

Brandy eventually broke up with Richardson in 2005 while he was with the New York Knicks. In the summer of 2006, she served as a judge on the NBC network's televised amateur talent show "America's Got Talent." On December 30, 2006, Brandy was involved in a fatal vehicle accident in Los Angeles when her SUV crashed into another vehicle on a freeway. A 38-year-old woman driving a Toyota was critically injured in the crash and was hospitalized, but died the following day. Brandy was neither injured nor arrested at the scene, but as of late January 2007, police are still investigating whether to file charges against her.