Brandy

Brandy Norwood was born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Carson, California. Her father is Willie Norwood, a former gospel singer and choir director, and her mother Sonja Norwood, a former district manager for H&R Block. Her mom quit her job to manage her daughter and Brandy's younger brother Ray J, who is also an entertainer.

Rapper Snoop Dogg is a first cousin.

Brandy started singing as part of the local church choir through her father's work. She performed her first gospel solo at the age of two and decided that she wanted to be a professional singer a couple of years later. Brandy began entering talent shows by the time she was eleven and her talent led to a contract with Teaspoon Productions in 1990. She was given work as a backing vocalist for their boy band Immature, which featured a young Marques Houston.