Brandy Rayana Norwood popularly know as Brandy, is an R&B singer, songwriter, producer, actress, and entrepreneur with an estimated net worth of $12 million.

The multi-talented singer was born in Mississippi on February 11, 1979, and raised in Carson, California. She began singing at the age of two, in church choirs and as a gospel soloist. She is the daughter of gospel singer and choir director Willie Norwood and his wife, H&R Block district manager, Sonja Norwood. Brandy is Ray J's older sister, as well as the cousin of rapper Snoop Dogg and WWE wrestler Sasha Banks. Her mother took time off from a lucrative job to manage Norwood. As a result, Brandy dropped out of school and began studying at home with a tutor. Prior to her music career, she starred as a secondary character in the ABC TV show Thea, which premiered to critical acclaim but was later canceled after its initial ratings dwindled. Brandy Norwood began her career as a backing vocalist, and she has been supporting teen groups since she was a child. Teaspoon Productions noticed her and quickly hired her as a backing vocalist for Chris Stokes and Earl Harris' boy band, "Immature." Her parents helped her sign a recording contract with the Atlantic Recording Corporation.

She made her debut in 1994 with the R&B group "Somethin' for the People," which sold six million copies worldwide and topped the Hot R&B Singles chart with the songs "I Wanna Be Down" and "Baby." Never Say Never'' was her second album, released in 1998, and was followed by "Full Moon" (2002), "Afrodisiac" (2004), "Human" (2008), and "Two Eleven" (2012).  She toured with Boyz II Men in 1995 as the opening act. She also composed music for the films Batman Forever and Waiting to Exhale in the same year. Brandy was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 1996 for her collaboration with Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, and Tamia on the film Set It Off, "Missing You". Norwood has received numerous accolades: 3 American Music Awards, 14 Billboard Music Awards, and 1 Grammy Award. For the song "The Boy is Mine," she won the Grammy Award for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" in 1999 with then rival, Monique.

She won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress for her role as Moesha Mitchell in the television series "Moesha" from 1996 to 2001. Brandy reportedly made $90,000 per episode over the course of the show's six seasons and five years. She appeared in 127 episodes for a total of $11.4 million dollars.  In 2010, she and her family starred in the VH1 reality series Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business. She competed on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" as a contestant (partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy). In the competition, she came in fourth place.

The singer was the first black actress to play Cinderella on screen in Disney history, giving young black girls the chance to see themselves represented on screen. By making black dolls, she continued to be an emblem of black excellence and representation. From 1999 to 2003, millions of dolls were distributed and sold, making them one of Mattel's best-selling toys. She also became the first black singer to be the face of CoverGirl in 1999. Over the years, she's had a slew of endorsement deals. Brandy has also worked as a model for Candie's and DKNY.

Brandy was hired as a judge on America's Got Talent in 2006, but her stint on the show was cut short after she was involved in a fatal car accident in California, prompting her two-year hiatus. In 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the play "Chicago." She played Roxie Hart, the lead character in the musical. Later that year, she co-produced and starred in the television series Zoe Ever After. In 2017, she competed on the cooking show "My Kitchen Rules," alongside her younger brother, Ray J. She was since then seen in Lee Daniel's Star series as Cassie Brown.

Brandy dated Kobe Bryant for a short time in 1996. In Ardmore, Pennsylvania, she was his prom date at Lower Merion High School. Wayna Morris of Boyz II Men, rapper Mase, and producer Robert "Big Bert" Smith were among her other boyfriends. Brandy and Smith kept their relationship a secret until Brandy announced her pregnancy in February 2002. Brandy and Smith split up a year after their daughter Sy'rai Iman Smith was born on June 16, 2002. She began dating NBA player Quentin Richardson in 2003. In July of 2004, they got engaged. In October 20o5, the engagement came to an end. Brandy has a beautiful home in Los Angeles for which she paid $4 million. Brandy is the proud owner of a $50,000 black Range Rover. She receives royalties from her past show Moesha and the Cinderella movie, making her earnings $1 million a year.

Sources: Celeb Worth, Gazette Review, Just Richest, The Famous People, Nicki Swift Vogue, The Things, Buzzfeed

This article was updated on March 30th, 2021 by Vanessa Shumbanhete

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