20 December 2013
Newsdesk
Brandy advises backing vocalists to “over-sing the artist” if they want to make it.
The 34-year-old star began her career performing backing vocals for a number of big-name stars, but always knew she wanted to be in the limelight. It’s a position many others find themselves in, so Brandy has offered some words of wisdom.
“Just start over-singing the artist, that's how you gonna get your chance! No, I'm just kidding,” she laughed to British newspaper The Guardian. “I was able to learn so much that way. I was dreaming when I was singing background, I was just dreaming, you know? I sang in church and choirs and it was a great time, I wouldn't change how I got my start for anything.”
As well as singing, Brandy is a successful actress and appeared in sitcom Moesha when she was a teenager. She was quizzed on how she managed not to go off the rails like many other child stars do, but insists there is no special formula.
“I think I've already gone through my bad girl phase… I've done things I haven't been proud of,” she said. “Look, everybody has experiences where they learn who they are and that they need to go through those experiences to get to the other side. I don't judge, because like I said, I have gone through things in my life that I'm not so quick to tell anybody about.”
Brandy’s acting career continued after Moesha ended in 1997 and she starred as Chardonnay in The Game, about a group of women who date sportsmen. Although she loved the work, she was less impressed by her character’s name.
“I know; can you believe that? Trust me, I was trying to get them to change her name. I mean, I was like, ‘Can we at least be Cristal?!’ Chardonnay? I mean, that is just not it,” she laughed.
