Brandy

Brandy Norwood was born in McComb, Mississippi in 1979. Her father Willie was a gospel singer, and her mother Sonja had sung with Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. At fifteen, she released her self-titled debut album in 1994. The single 'I Wanna Be Down' became a hit, and the album went multi-platinum.

In 1998, she recorded 'The Boy Is Mine' with Monica. The duet spent thirteen weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and won two Grammys. The song's success was accompanied by rumors of a feud between the two singers, though the details of that were mostly tabloid speculation.

Later, Brandy filed for bankruptcy in 2004 and entered rehab for substance abuse. She kept recording after that, with songs like 'Right Here (Departed)' and 'Starting Now' appearing in her catalog. Her voice stayed recognizable, that light, airy tone that first showed up on her teenage records.