Brandy Norwood Dishes On Being Called That Name and Lots More

Singer and actress Brandy Norwood is finally dishing on her feelings about being regarded as the “vocal bible” in the music industry.

Speaking exclusively to The Root at an event on Thursday celebrating the fourth collaboration between the talented artist and Stella Rosa for their premium imported brandy line and specifically their soon-to-be released Butter Toffee flavor, Norwood revealed that while she was initially hesitant to accept the label, she’s ultimately flattered and grateful for the recognition.

‘When I first heard it, it was hard for me to embrace it. I was like ‘wait a minute, there’s so many amazing singers.’ But I realized that that’s such flattery, it makes me feel so good that people acknowledge my gift in that way and it just keeps me on my toes to keep striving for greatness,” she explained.

A part of that greatness also entails joining forces with other music greats for some sonically superb sounds. When asked which artists she’d love to team up with, the “Borderline” singer shared that her dream collabs would be with Sade and D’Angelo.

And while those may still be a work in progress, Norwood is biding her time by making her grand reappearance as Cinderella in the forthcoming Disney+ original film, “Descendants: The Rise of Red.” In 1997, she made history as the first Black woman to portray the iconic princess in “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” starring alongside the late Whitney Houston who played her Fairy Godmother. Reflecting on what it means to be able to introduce a whole new generation to the her iteration of the character, Norwood shared:

“It’s the power of longevity and I’m just so blessed to have passion and love for what I do. And I’ve been able to do it for so long so to continue to be an inspiration to the world—it’s why you do what you do. It’s why I even started singing to begin with. I’m really blessed.”