From ‘Cinderella’ to ‘Queens’: See Brandy’s return to TV
Fans of Brandy – listen up! The 90s R&B singer recently secured a role in a new drama pilot, and we’re basically dying with excitement. Here’s everything you need to know about your favorite Cinderella star’s new on-screen appearance that is certain to brighten up the dark days of quarantine.
ABC’s Queens
According to new intel from TVLine, Brandy will be taking a bit of a detour from her beloved 90s role in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella with ABC’s Queens. The show is slated to tell the story of four women who reunite in their forties to relive the glory days of their old hip-hop group: “Nasty B*tches”.
According to the official character description of Brandy’s Naomi: “Naomi was certain she’d go on to mainstream success after the group’s demise. She hasn’t, singing and playing her guitar in crappy dive bars where all people want is her old persona.”
It continues: “When the group gets back together, Naomi is reunited with the only man she ever loved, and the rival bandmate who stole that man from her. But what Naomi wants more than anything is to build a relationship with the daughter she was never really there for – if only she knew how.”
Brandy will be producing some exciting new original music for Queens. Her costars include rapper Eve as Brianna, and Naturi Naughton as Jill.
Who is Brandy?
Brandy Rayana Norwood was born on February 11th, 1979 in McComb, Mississippi to gospel singer Willie Norwood and district manager at H&R Block Sonja Norwood. Norwood is the cousin of Snoop Dogg, and the sister of rapper Ray J.
Norwood discovered her love for music at a young age and performed her first gospel solo at two years old. When Norwood was still a toddler, her family moved from Mississippi to Carson, California, where she enrolled in school at the Hollywood High Performing Arts Center. She didn’t receive a whole lot of support from those around her, but began entering talent shows at eleven nonetheless.
In 1990, Norwood signed a contract with Chris Stokes and Earl Harris’s company Teaspoon Productions. At first, she worked as a backup singer for the boy band Immature. After a few years with Teaspoon Productions, Norwood signed on with the prestigious Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Brandy’s successes
While Brandy worked on her debut album, she acted in the ABC sitcom Thea, on which she played the daughter of a single mother. Though the show itself didn’t necessarily thrive when it came to ratings, Norwood earned a Young Artists Award nomination for Outstanding Youth Ensemble.
In 1994, Norwood debuted her first album, which climbed to number twenty on the U.S. Billboard 200. Ultimately, the record sold over 6 million copies worldwide, and generated a whopping three top ten hits.
Brandy’s Cinderella
In 1997, Brandy was chosen by none other than Whitney Houston to play Cinderella in a TV rendition, alongside stars Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Houston herself as the Fairy Godmother. The special boasted around 60 million viewers, and won an Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program after its release.
Most recently, Brandy appeared on Fox’s TV show Star, which follows a young girl fresh out of the foster system who’s determined to carve out a path for herself in the music industry. She also appeared in Moesha & The Game. She is represented by CAA, SALXCO’s Ryan Ramsey, Sonja Norwood of Norwood & Norwood, and Stephen Barnes of Morris Yorn.
—
As far as we can tell, it seems like Queens is gonna be all the fun and greatness we could possibly ask for. So tune into ABC when the time comes and get ready for a wild ride.
