Brandy

Though still in her teens, singer Brandy was among the biggest and brightest new stars to emerge during the 1990s; a multimedia sensation, she was a success not only on the pop and R&B charts, but also on television. Born in McComb, MO, in 1979, Brandy Norwood was raised in California, first attracting attention singing with area youth groups. From there she moved on to a series of television award shows and specials, and later co-starred in the short-lived ABC sitcom Thea. Brandy's self-titled debut LP appeared in 1994, launching a series of hits, among them "I Wanna Be Down," "Baby," and "Brokenhearted"; by now a major star, she returned a year later with the blockbuster "Sittin' Up in My Room," a cut from the soundtrack to the film Waiting to Exhale. "Missing You," from the soundtrack to 1996's Set It Off, was also a hit, but instead of immediately releasing a follow-up LP, Brandy returned to acting, starring in the acclaimed UPN sitcom Moesha and also appearing in the title role of the 1997 Disney telefilm Cinderella, one of the biggest success stories of the television season. Her long-awaited sophomore album, Never Say Never, was finally issued in mid-1998. Despite following four years later, Full Moon maintained her profile, spawning another handful of chart hits. Her fourth album, Afrodisiac, was released in 2004. Its lead single -- "Talk About Our Love" -- was produced by Kanye West. Although the reviews were positive overall, the album didn't sell as well as any of her previous efforts and Brandy left her label of 11 years, Atlantic. In December 2006, while driving on the San Diego Freeway, Brandy hit the car in front of her -- an accident that killed the driver and caused a four-car chain reaction. She recorded her fifth album, Human (her first release for Epic), which was released in December 2008, a few months before she was due to face a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the husband of the woman who died in the accident.