Editing Brandy Norwood (section)

===1993–1996: ''Brandy'' and television stardom===
During the early production stages of her debut album, Norwood was selected for a role in the short-lived [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] sitcom ''[[Thea (TV series)|Thea]]'', portraying the daughter of a single mother played by comedian [[Thea Vidale]].<ref name="vibe7"/> Initially broadcast to high ratings, the series' viewership dwindled and ended up running for only one season, but earned her a [[Young Artist Awards|Young Artists Award nomination for Outstanding Youth Ensemble]] alongside her co-stars.<ref name="afbn">{{cite web|title=Awards for Brandy Norwood|publisher=[[IMDb]]|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005275/awards|access-date=2010-03-19}}</ref> Norwood recalled that she appreciated the cancellation of the show as she was unenthusiastic about acting at the time, and the taping caused scheduling conflicts with the recording of her album. She stated, "I felt bad for everybody else but me. It was a good thing, because I could do what I had to do, because I wanted to sing."<ref>{{cite news|first=Jill|last=Gerston|date=1996-02-11|title=Brandy, Pop Star, Plays a Teen-Ager, Though Not Just Any Teen-Ager|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/11/tv/cover-story-brandy-pop-star-plays-a-teen-ager-though-not-just-any-teen-ager.html?pagewanted=2|access-date=2010-06-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114161942/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/11/tv/cover-story-brandy-pop-star-plays-a-teen-ager-though-not-just-any-teen-ager.html?pagewanted=2|url-status=live|archive-date=November 14, 2013}}</ref><ref name="tva">{{cite web|date=1995-03-12|title=''Thea''{{'}}s Brandy Bounces Back With Hit Album|work=[[The Victoria Advocate]]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_T0KAAAAIBAJ&pg=4290,2633642&dq=brandy+album&hl=en|access-date=2010-06-28}}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Norwood's [[Brandy (album)|self-titled debut album]] was released in late September 1994 and peaked at number twenty on the U.S. [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref name="billalbums">{{cite web|title=Brandy|work=[[AllMusic]]|publisher=Allmusic.com|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p142547|pure_url=yes}}|access-date=2010-06-29}}</ref> Critical reaction to ''Brandy'' was generally positive, with [[AllMusic]] writer Eddie Huffman declaring Brandy "a lower-key [[Janet Jackson]] or a more stripped-down [[Mary J. Blige]] [...] with good songs and crisp production."<ref>{{cite web|first=Eddie|last=Huffman|title=''Brandy'' (1994) review|work=[[AllMusic]]|publisher=Allmusic.com|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r207120|pure_url=yes}}|access-date=2008-04-21}}</ref> Anderson Jones of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' asserted, "Teen actress Norwood acts her age. A premature effort at best, that seems based on the philosophy 'If [[Aaliyah]] can do it, why can't I?'."<ref name="ewb">{{cite magazine|date=1994-11-04|first=Anderson|last=Jones|title=Music Review: 'Brandy'|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|url= https://ew.com/article/1994/11/04/music-review-brandy/|access-date=2019-11-11}}</ref> ''Brandy'' went on to sell over six million copies worldwide,<ref name="first">{{cite web|title=''Ich Weiss Noch Immer, Was Du Letzten Sommer Getan Hast'' (1998)|work=Kinoweb.de|url=http://www.kinoweb.de/film99/IStillKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer/film03.html|access-date=2008-09-30|language=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920045643/http://www.kinoweb.de/film99/IStillKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer/film03.html|archive-date=September 20, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> and produced three top ten hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, including "[[I Wanna Be Down]]" and "[[Baby (Brandy song)|Baby]]", both of which reached the top of the [[Hot R&B Singles]] chart and were both certified platinum by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]].<ref name="rockthenet">{{cite web|title=''Brandy'' – Timeline| work=Rockthenet|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/artists-b/brandy_main.htm|access-date=16 March 2007}}</ref> "[[Brokenhearted (Brandy song)|Brokenhearted]]", a duet with [[Wanya Morris]] of [[Boyz II Men]], became a number-two hit on the charts.<ref name="billalbums"/> The album earned Norwood two [[Grammy Award]] nominations for [[Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist]] and [[Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance|Best Female R&B Vocal Performance]] the following year, and won her four [[Soul Train Music Awards]], two [[Billboard Awards]], and the New York Children's Choice Award.<ref name="afbn"/> In 1995, she finished a two-month stint as the [[opening act]] on Boyz II Men's national tour,<ref>{{cite web|date=2002-08-26|title=Shaggy The 'Humna Kid,' Brandy And Wanya, Mariah's 'Fantasy': This Week in 1995|work=[[MTV News]]|publisher=MTV.com|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1457176/20020826/shaggy.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020916164314/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1457176/20020826/shaggy.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 16, 2002|access-date=2008-04-24}}</ref> and contributed songs to the soundtracks of the films ''[[Batman Forever]]'' and ''[[Waiting to Exhale]]'', with the single "[[Sittin' Up in My Room]]" becoming another top-two success.<ref name="billalbums"/> In 1996, Norwood also collaborated with [[Tamia]], [[Chaka Khan]], and [[Gladys Knight]] on the single "[[Missing You (Brandy, Gladys Knight, Tamia, and Chaka Khan song)|Missing You]]", released from the soundtrack of the F. Gary Gray film ''[[Set It Off (film)|Set It Off]]''. The single won her a third Grammy nomination in the [[Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals]] category.<ref name="afbn"/>

In 1996, her short-lived engagement on ''Thea'' led Norwood to star in her own show, the [[UPN]]-produced sitcom ''[[Moesha]]''. Appearing alongside [[William Allen Young]] and [[Sheryl Lee Ralph]], she played the title role of [[Moesha Mitchell]], a Los Angeles girl coping with a stepmother as well as the pressures and demands of becoming an adult.<ref>{{cite news|title=Singer Brandy Turns Actress In New TV Series ''Moesha''|work=Jet|date=1996-02-26}}</ref> Originally bought by [[CBS]], the program debuted on UPN in January 1996, and soon became their most-watched show.<ref>{{cite news|first=Lawrie|last=Mifflin |title=UPN's ''Moesha'', The Nonwhite Hit Nobody Knows |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/26/arts/television-radio-upn-s-moesha-the-nonwhite-hit-nobody-knows.html?pagewanted=1 |date=2001-06-04|access-date=2008-01-25}}</ref> While the sitcom managed to increase its audience every new season and spawned a [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]] titled ''[[The Parkers]]'', the network decided to cancel the show after six seasons on the air, leaving it ending with a [[cliffhanger]] for a scrapped seventh season.<ref name="FindArticles2">{{cite news|title=UPN Cancels ''Moesha'' After Six Seasons|work=Jet|date=2001-06-04}}</ref> Norwood was awarded an [[NAACP Image Award|NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress]] for her performance.<ref name="afbn"/> In 1997, Brandy, Ray J, and their parents started The Norwood Kids Foundation, which helps disadvantaged, at-risk youths in Los Angeles and Mississippi through the arts and self-help programs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brandy – Chardonnay Pitts |url=http://www.bet.com/shows/the-game/cast/chardonnay-brandy.html |publisher=BET |access-date=27 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328055419/http://www.bet.com/shows/the-game/cast/chardonnay-brandy.html |archive-date=March 28, 2014 }}</ref>