Brandy Norwood

Brandy Rayana Norwood, sometimes simply known as Brandy, is an American actress and contralto singer. For Disney, she played Cinderella in the 1997 Disney television film Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella and voiced Latecia in the Disney animated series Jungle Cubs. She also performed the Disney Princess anthem "Starting Now" for the Ultimate Princess Celebration campaign. Additionally, she played Naomi "Xplicit Lyrics" Harris-Jones in the ABC musical drama Queens. Brandy reprised her role as Cinderella in the Descendants spinoff film Descendants: The Rise of Red for Disney+ which is set in a separate universe to Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella.
Norwood was born on February 11, 1979, in McComb, Mississippi and started singing through her father's work as part of the local church choir, performing her first gospel solo at the age of two. In 1983, her parents relocated to Carson, California, and Norwood was schooled at the Hollywood High Performing Arts Center. In 1990, she signed with Teaspoon Productions, headed by Chris Stokes and Earl Harris, who gave her work as a backing vocalist for their R&B boy band Immature, and arranged the production of a demo tape. In 1993, amid ongoing negotiations with East West Records, Norwood's parents organized a recording contract with the Atlantic Recording Corporation and Norwood dropped out of school.
Releasing her self-titled debut album in 1994, Norwood gained recognition and accolades, including two Grammy Award nominations. She continued her success with the albums: Never Say Never, Full Moon, Afrodisiac, and Human.
During the 1990s, Norwood also began an acting career with television shows, such as Thea, Moesha, The Parkers, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Reba, One on One, 90210, Drop Dead Diva, The Game, Zoe Ever After, Star, and Queens. She also appeared in films, like I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Double Platinum, Osmosis Jones, and Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor. In 2015, Norwood made her Broadway debut as a replacement Roxie Hart in the revival of the musical Chicago and continued to play the role in various venues.
==Roles==
Cinderella Brandy.jpg|Cinderella(Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella)
Descendants The Rise of Red - Cinderella.jpeg|Cinderella(Descendants: The Rise of Red)
==Trivia==
*Brandy is the older sister of entertainer Ray J. Both took part in the Disney Channel in Concert specials in 1997.
*Norwood's 33rd birthday was on the same day her Cinderella co-star, Whitney Houston, died.
*She shares her birthday with the late Eva Gabor, who voiced Duchess in The Aristocats and Miss Bianca in The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under.
==Gallery==
Brandy BMA12.jpg|Brandy Norwood arrives at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards. 
Brandy Norwood Winter TCA Tour16.jpg|Brandy Norwood speaks at the Zoe Ever After panel at the BET portion of the 2016 Winter TCA Tour. 
==External links==
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pt-br:Brandy Norwood
Category:Actresses
Category:Singers
Category:1970s births
Category:African American people
Category:Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Category:Females
Category:Voice actresses
Category:People from Mississippi
Category:American people
Category:The Jungle Book
Category:ABC
Category:Fox
Category:20th Television
Category:Descendants
Category:Disney+