DARA WILSON: How you
guys doing today?
[CHEERS]
DARA WILSON: There you go.
That's the enthusiastic
Google I know.
BRANDY: Yes.
DARA WILSON: OK.
My name is Dara Wilson.
I'm a merchandising manager for
devices on Google Play.
I am also a happy member of the
Black Googlers Network.
And on behalf of them and
"Musicians at Google," I want
to welcome you all here.
Thank you all for
coming so much.
We are here to have the
wonderful Brandy with us--
[CHEERS]
BRANDY: Thank you.
DARA WILSON: --here at the
Google campus in Mountain
View, California.
So as if we all don't already
know, Brady has been a force
in the entertainment industry
for the past nearly 20 years.
BRANDY: That's telling my
age-- telling my age.
That's telling my age.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: She has sold more
than 40 million records
worldwide, won over
a hundred awards.
It is no wonder why she is
ranked one of the best-selling
female artists in American
history.
BRANDY: Oh, wow.
[APPLAUSE]
DARA WILSON: No big deal.
So in celebration of Black
History Month, BGN has chosen
three themes to focus on.
Those are mapping the past,
searching the present, and
inventing the future.
And so we're going to have
Brandy here with us to talk
about those themes through
her career.
BRANDY: OK.
DARA WILSON: So first, I want to
say happy belated birthday.
BRANDY: Thank you very much.
DARA WILSON: How does it feel?
BRANDY: It feels good to
celebrate another birthday.
My birthday is February 11, and
yeah, I just hung out with
my friends and my family.
and we just did a quiet
celebration.
It was fun.
At the house, it was simple.
And it was good.
DARA WILSON: OK, so we actually
have a video clip of
you discussing your beginnings
in the music industry that we
wanted to start with.
So let's go ahead and play
that to start out.
BRANDY: [INAUDIBLE].
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: We like
that girl, huh?
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: OK, so it has
been 18 years since
the single came out.
How does it feel to be
celebrating such a milestone
in your career?
You're still going strong
all these years later.
BRANDY: Well, it feels great
to do what I love to do.
Singing is my passion.
Entertainment is my passion.
I love people, so it feels
good to keep going.
I've gone through a lot,
a lot of ups and downs.
At one point, I didn't like
what I did anymore.
And so to rediscover and to
reinvent and to develop all
over again has truly
been a blessing.
I've been so blessed to get
chance after chance.
And I'm just happy to
be an example of
possibility, really.
Y'all can clap on that.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: I must say, that
was pretty profound.
[LAUGHTER]
[APPLAUSE]
DARA WILSON: OK, so you have
been around for a significant
amount of time.
So tell us about some of the
biggest influences in the
music industry for
your career.
BRANDY: Oh my god.
Well, my dad was the first
performer I saw in church.
He was the first person
that I was wowed by.
And then being introduced to
Whitney Houston at an early
age was like, whoa.
I couldn't believe a woman
like her existed.
Her smile alone just made your
heart melt, and just her voice
and her aura and her presence.
And so I grew up loving
her, idolizing her.
And I had a chance to meet her,
work with her, and become
a friend of hers.
So that's awesome.
I'll never forget her.
And she will forever be
my idol and someone
that I look up to.
DARA WILSON: You did a good job
of introducing her to our
generation as well.
BRANDY: Oh, really?
DARA WILSON: Oh, yeah.
BRANDY: I did that?
No, I didn't.
DARA WILSON: Yes,
you did, girl.
BRANDY: Oh, no, y'all knew
Whitney Houston.
DARA WILSON: But [INAUDIBLE]
have her to be so accessible--
Sunday night, you're sitting
between your mom's legs.
Your doing your hair, and
"The Wonderful World of
Disney" comes on.
And Brandy is there with
Whitney Houston.
It just brought her to a whole
new generation, I think.
BRANDY: She's unbelievable,
an unbelievable woman.
DARA WILSON: Definitely.
OK, so next we want
to move to--
this one's a favorite of mine--
your TV show, "Moesha".
BRANDY: Ooh.
[LAUGHTER]
[APPLAUSE]
DARA WILSON: Yes, we could
clap for that.
It went on to become a great
success, obviously.
And it was really refreshing--
let's talk about generational
gaps again-- to see a positive
depiction of an African American
family in some
real-world situations.
And one of the things that I
know I personally loved about
watching the show was all
the celebrity guests.
BRANDY: I know.
We did have a lot of--
DARA WILSON: So tell us about
who you favorite was.
BRANDY: One of my favorites
was Maya Angelou.
She was--
incredible African American
woman, and she just inspired
so many people.
So meeting her, for me, was
like meeting Oprah.
It just didn't seem like
she was touchable.
So she was on the show.
There's a lot of people
that came on the show.
Jamie Foxx--
so many.
And it's weird because I don't
remember a lot of the "Moesha"
days, so I'm pretty sure there
was a lot of great people on
there that I'm not really
recalling right now.
But it was a great experience
for me because I got a chance
to grow up through the eyes of
"Moesha", because I wasn't in
regular school, and she was.
And she really had true
teenage issues.
She stood her ground, stood on
her own, and I was able to
live through that and learn
a lot from her.
I know you didn't ask me that,
but I just felt the need to--
since we were on the subject,
I just decided to--
DARA WILSON: That's exactly
what we're here for.
Feel free.
Please.
BRANDY: OK.
DARA WILSON: I'm just going to
say that my favorite, I think,
was Brian McKnight.
BRANDY: Brian McNight
was on the show.
DARA WILSON: Yes, girl.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: I forgot about that.
DARA WILSON: And you
were dancing,
and he was your teacher.
And I had to leave the room
because he was so fine.
BRANDY: You like him, huh?
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: So I want to thank
you for that as well.
BRANDY: OK.
Girl, you're welcome.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: OK, well, speaking
of which, since I
brought that up, have you ever
been star-struck by people
you've met?
BRANDY: Oh my god, I'm always
star-struck, especially people
that I'm invested in.
Like recently, I had a chance
to meet Kerry Washington.
She's the lady that plays in
"Scandal" Olivia Pope.
I know you guys know.
And I got a chance to really
tell her how I felt about her
and all of her monologues that
she does on the show.
And of course, I had to get
through the "oh my god.
Oh my god." It was a problem.
And I embarrass everybody around
me because I really go
into groupie mode, especially
when I love someone.
So it happens.
And I never want to lose that
because when people come up to
me and tell me how they feel
about my work and they
appreciate the things that I've
done for them, it makes
me feel amazing.
So I always want to let the
people that make me feel that
way know how I feel
about them.
DARA WILSON: Awesome.
So Kerry Washington, that's
a recent one.
I feel like everybody here would
have that same reaction.
She is amazing.
BRANDY: It was a mess,
how I was acting.
It was really bad.
DARA WILSON: Anybody else?
BRANDY: Oh my god, so many.
When I first met Whitney
Houston, I had to register
that she was a real person.
Like you can go on YouTube
and see it--
I'm running from her.
I'm screaming.
I'm crying.
I was a hot mess.
And then Michael Jackson,
I fainted.
I just walked in and
saw him and just--
you know what I mean?
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: I think that's a
perfectly acceptable response
to meeting Michael Jackson.
BRANDY: Yeah.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: But yeah.
DARA WILSON: Awesome.
OK.
So your new album,
"Two Eleven"--
BRANDY: New album, "Two
Eleven," is out now.
DARA WILSON: Birthday?
BRANDY: Yes.
DARA WILSON: It was released
back in October, right?
BRANDY: Yes.
DARA WILSON: OK, so how is it
different, this album, from
your past works?
What has changed for
you as an artist?
BRANDY: Well, I'm just a
different person now.
I'm older.
I'm wiser.
And I'm a lot more honest
within myself.
I know who I am as a person.
So when you have a better sense
of who you are, you can
be honest in every part
of your life.
So music is the best way I can
express myself and really just
let loose already.
So to have that connection with
self, it's a little bit
more freeing for me.
So with this album, I
just wanted to get
back to my R&B roots.
And it's an album that
I'm truly proud of.
I love every song
on the album.
I didn't write any of the songs,
so I'm not being cocky
by saying that.
But I love all the songs.
I relate to them.
And I love the melodies,
the lyrics.
It was just a great experience
to reconnect back to my music
and then to do music that I knew
my fans would be proud of
and do an album that my fans
have been waiting for, because
they've been with me for
such a long time.
And it's all about them
right now for me.
I love my fans.
I do.
[APPLAUSE]
DARA WILSON: Well I have to
say, it shows, because the
album is really, really
incredible.
BRANDY: Thank you.
Thank you so much.
DARA WILSON: It seems like
that extension is there.
BRANDY: Thank you.
DARA WILSON: So you mentioned
it-- you teed it off for me.
You do have an incredibly
passionate and engaged fan
base
BRANDY: I do.
DARA WILSON: You really do.
BRANDY: I mean they go hard.
My fans are not-- like, don't
talk about me to my fans.
They will let you have it.
They feel like my
extended family.
They really do.
And anybody that knows
me, knows my fans are
a part of my family.
And that's why I call them my
stars, because they keep me
shining, and they've been there
through everything, the
ups and the downs.
And you can't ask for better
fans than that.
DARA WILSON: Yeah.
So I see that you do cultivate
that on YouTube.
You have a pretty
strong YouTube
presence and following.
How does that help you interact
with your fan
base in that way?
BRANDY: Well, just being able
to be that close in
connection is great.
I didn't have that coming up.
So to have something where I can
be in close contact with
them-- people that can't get to
every show, they can see me
and appreciate--
DARA WILSON: Singing
in the bathroom.
BRANDY: Yeah, singing
in the bathroom.
All that stuff that I'm able to
do to impress them and to
engage with them
is a blessing.
DARA WILSON: So you do see it
as a big difference from the
early part of your career, that
social media [INAUDIBLE]?
BRANDY: Oh my god, social
media, it has
its pros and cons.
But the pros are just amazing
because I can
talk directly to them.
I can DM them.
DARA WILSON: You're
DMing your fans?
BRANDY: Yeah, I DM.
I DM a little.
I Direct Message a little bit.
Yes.
I know if Whitney had a Twitter
or something like
that, I would be stalking.
So it's great for them to feel
like they can talk to you and
feel like they know you, because
that's how I feel
about them.
And I hate that I can't
get to everybody.
DARA WILSON: Well, when you have
such a strong fan base,
that's never going
to be possible.
But it's a blessing.
BRANDY: That's true.
It definitely is.
You're doing a great
job, by the way.
DARA WILSON: Oh, well
thank you very much.
BRANDY: Girl, you should
get your own talk show.
[APPLAUSE]
BRANDY: Yes.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: Oprah left
her seat open.
I'm auditioning, y'all.
You don't know.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: OK, so you did
mention that your fans are
called stars, and they
help you to shine.
But how did that name come
about, specifically?
Did it just come to you?
BRANDY: It did come to me.
I was doing some videos for them
on the previous album--
not this album, but
the album before.
And I was just talking to them,
interacting with them.
And it just came
out of nowhere.
I was like, y'all
are my stars.
Y'all keep me shining.
And I was like, hmm,
that should be--
DARA WILSON: Inspiration.
BRANDY: Yeah, that should be--
because fans sounds so--
DARA WILSON: Cold.
BRANDY: It does, huh?
I wasn't going to say cold, but
I'm going to go with that.
That was a good one.
DARA WILSON: Because you're
the opposite.
You have a very warm presence,
and I think it's partly
because of that.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: I think we
just had a moment.
BRANDY: Yeah, we did.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: But yeah, stars, it's
more personal for me.
DARA WILSON: OK.
Do you ever get the chance to
watch some of the stuff that
they are putting up
on social media?
I know people do choreography
to your music.
BRANDY: I do.
I watch the choreography.
I watch the birthday messages
they send me.
And some of my stars are
really talented.
They can sing.
There's this one guy.
His name is Token.
And he always makes these videos
where he's like five or
six different characters, and
all six of his characters are
Brandy fans.
And so he expresses love for
me in different characters.
One is real Ratchet.
He calls one of the characters
Ratchet.
And so everything is like,
"girl, honey child."
And it's like a whole thing
where he's being this
character, and it expresses
the love for me.
And I just love that.
And I'm just amazed by
that, that someone
could feel that way--
people could feel that
way about me.
DARA WILSON: That's got to be a
great thing to wake up to in
the morning.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: It is.
It definitely is.
Definitely Ratchet.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: OK, well again,
we have a little bit of
footage of one of your
stars right now.
So we're going to watch how
they interact with you.
BRANDY: Oh my god, I wish you
would have played another one
from this clip.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: No, it's really
emotionally.
It was a girl.
She walked up, and she just
looked at me like this.
And then she stopped, and
then she just broke--
it had to register to her.
And I'm me, so I'm like,
what's wrong?
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: But it was so incredible
how she responded,
and I just broke down.
It was a moment for me.
I was like, wow.
DARA WILSON: Maybe the people
on the committee thought you
might not want to see yourself
breaking down on video.
I don't know.
BRANDY: Right.
Yeah, because I do look crazy
when I cry, so maybe not.
Gotta keep it cute for Google.
Gotta keep it cute.
DARA WILSON: [INAUDIBLE].
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Right.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: OK, so you
mentioned that one.
Do you have any other favorite
memorable fan moments?
BRANDY: It's so many
great fan moments.
All I know is I really
appreciate when people say
things like your music
saved my life.
I was going through a break-up,
and your music
turned me around.
I feel like I can
relate to you.
I have a lot of people that come
up to me and say those
things, and that always
makes me feel just--
it's the reason why
I do what I do.
And I'm so glad that I'm
connected to that feeling,
because when you come
up and you're young,
you want to be famous.
You want to be popular.
It's all about you when
you're young.
But now, I know that it's a
responsibility, and it's a
service to my fans
to do what I do.
And I'm blessed to have the
opportunity to serve people
and to share.
So, yeah, y'all can
clap on that, too.
[LAUGHTER]
[APPLAUSE]
DARA WILSON: You're making
my life so easy.
BRANDY: It's really true.
I mean that.
DARA WILSON: It's beautiful
BRANDY: Because it wasn't
always like that.
And it feels great to have
that connection.
DARA WILSON: And your people
are die hard, too.
We're all out here waiting.
Every day, it was like, there's
this Brandy thing
coming, y'all?
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: OK, so this is a
little bit of a departure, but
I heard that you're an avid
"World of Warcraft" fan?
[CHEERS]
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: Girl.
You're going to fit
in here just fine.
BRANDY: Anybody in here play
"World of Warcraft"?
OK, never mind.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: This is a room
full of Googlers.
They all fronting.
Everybody in here
plays that game.
BRANDY: Somebody has to--
one person.
Don't be embarrassed.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: OK.
DARA WILSON: That's OK.
"StarCraft"?
BRANDY: Oh,
"StarCraft." [LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Same people, but
it's not the same game.
No, I've never played
"StarCraft.' But I'm all
"World of Warcraft."
I love that game.
It's an escape.
DARA WILSON: OK.
Bordering on obsession, maybe?
BRANDY: I used to be obsessed.
I'm a little busy right now,
which is a good thing because
when I wasn't busy I was--
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: I was gone, seriously.
But I am a Level 90.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: That's the highest
level in the game.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
DARA WILSON: I love this
side of Brandy.
Yes.
BRANDY: Yes.
Girl, who told you to
ask that question?
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: I'm not going
to out anybody.
BRANDY: OK.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: OK, so you're on
tour now promoting the album.
BRANDY: Yes.
DARA WILSON: And the
tour is amazing.
BRANDY: Thank you.
DARA WILSON: We have always
really enjoyed your moves and
your music.
BRANDY: Thank you.
DARA WILSON: But this seems
like it's just on another
level with the dancing.
And actually, we have
another clip.
This is my favorite one.
I've been waiting all
day for this.
BRANDY: Oh my god, what is it?
DARA WILSON: So let's
roll this clip.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: Yes.
BRANDY: That's him.
That's the 90 characters--
the guy.
DARA WILSON: Well,
there we are.
BRANDY: Yes.
I'm a fan of him, you know?
DARA WILSON: You know what, we
thought that perhaps he was a
fan, but his moves were so on
point, we said, no, he must be
a background dancer.
BRANDY: No, he is a fan.
DARA WILSON: That
is incredible.
BRANDY: A star, yes.
DARA WILSON: Wow.
BRANDY: And he has
my back, totally.
DARA WILSON: So in terms of
the performances, before,
things were a little
bit more subtle.
BRANDY: Yeah.
DARA WILSON: Well, I
didn't say that.
BRANDY: You could say it.
It's OK.
DARA WILSON: Well, I won't.
BRANDY: You want me to say it?
Yeah, I was stiff.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: But things
have changed a lot.
People are talking about it
that's it's changed so much.
You're incredible.
BRANDY: Thanks you.
I've definitely discovered
a new performer on stage.
I don't even know who
this girl is.
I still got a long way to
go, a lot of work to do.
But I'm a little bit more
comfortable on stage now.
And I'll share a quick
story with you guys.
When I was about 16, I
appeared on a stage.
It was 20-something
thousand people.
It was this summer jam.
And I got on the stage
to give the radio
station this plaque--
one of my plaques--
and the entire stadium
booed me.
Like, boo!
It was really bad.
I was a teenager.
I'm done after that.
I'm emotional.
It scarred me.
DARA WILSON: You're a
real human being.
BRANDY: From there, I
became stage fright.
Every audience after that, I
thought I was going to be
booed, something was
going to happen.
So I've come through a lot being
a performer and getting
comfortable on stage, because
that fear is still there.
But it's not as much as
it was coming up.
So I had to really come through
a lot of stage fright
because of that moment.
And moments after that have
happened, too, where boos and
things like that.
But there's so much love now and
so much appreciation for
my music and what I do, I'm
starting to get a little bit
more comfortable on stage.
And it feels great.
And now, I don't care now
when I get on stage.
I just let it loose.
You're going to love it, or
you're going to hate it.
It depends on whatever that
person is feeling.
I just know that I leave
everything on stage.
I give it 150%.
And that's all I can do.
DARA WILSON: And it's paying
off in dividends.
I'm telling you, your
stars are talking.
BRANDY: Thank you.
DARA WILSON: You got to teach
us some moves later.
I'm going to corner you, because
I only do half a
dougie at this point.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Girl, you doing it just
sitting there, honey.
DARA WILSON: I'm trying
to work it out.
BRANDY: Yes.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: OK, so you have
gotten back into acting.
We've seen you on "The Game"
and "Drop Dead Diva." So
what's that transition like?
Tell us about it.
BRANDY: I love acting.
It's a little bit more of a
challenge for me because
acting, you play somebody
completely
different than yourself.
But I love it.
I love the challenge.
I love bringing truth to
someone that's not me.
And it's definitely a
challenging thing.
So I love a challenge.
So you see me on "The
Game" this season.
I think that drops in March.
And the new movie with
Tyler Perry--
DARA WILSON: Congratulation
on that.
BRANDY: --that comes
out in March,
"Temptation." Yeah, thank you.
So acting is going
pretty well.
I want to do a lot more in the
future though, definitely.
DARA WILSON: Cool.
So what's next for you
in your career?
BRANDY: Well, I'm going
to keep performing.
I'm going to just keep
working hard.
I feel like I'm definitely on
the path, my path of destiny,
so I just want to keep going
and stay humble, stay
positive, and keep doing what
I love to do because this is
what I was born to do.
DARA WILSON: And is there anyone
on the horizon that
you're looking forward
to working with?
Anybody you have your eye on?
BRANDY: It's a lot of great
artists out there.
I would love to work with
Beyonce one day.
I think she's incredible.
Kelly Rowland's incredible.
I love Miguel.
[CHEERS]
BRANDY: Oh my god.
My fiance got me on to Miguel.
I didn't even realize
how amazing he was.
And I'm just like, oh my god,
can he perform at the wedding?
Please.
He is amazing.
And that was actually my
pitch if he sees that.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: He might say yes, so--
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: So yes, Miguel, I want
you to perform at the wedding.
DARA WILSON: Or he can
come to Google also.
BRANDY: Yes.
DARA WILSON: He can--
and then we can--
Yeah.
BRANDY: See, Google, y'all got
everybody coming up here.
I just need Miguel at my wedding
real quick, you know
what I'm saying?
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: But can
we work together?
Can we collaborate?
BRANDY: Yes, we can
work together.
We can work together.
DARA WILSON: Let's
make it work.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: OK.
So you also have a
few alter egos.
BeRocka?
BRANDY: BeatRocka
is a nickname.
It's not an alter ego.
DARA WILSON: OK, I apologize.
BRANDY: I don't have
no alter egos.
DARA WILSON: OK, It's
just all Brandy.
BRANDY: It's all-- yeah.
I have, like, 10
personalities.
I definitely have a couple--
I'm not crazy, y'all.
But I do have a couple
of personalities.
DARA WILSON: And some
of them rap.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: They rap very
well, I have to say.
BRANDY: Thank you.
I used to rap.
But I'm a little bit discouraged
because no one
believed in my rapping.
AUDIENCE: Aww.
DARA WILSON: What?
BRANDY: Yeah, the world didn't
really buy into it.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: And the new team that
I'm working with definitely
doesn't want to hear me rap.
So I'm a little bit
discouraged.
DARA WILSON: You just
got to drop a little
mix tape on the street.
BRANDY: See, that's what
I really want to do.
But because I don't feel like
any one will take me
seriously--
and for those dreamers out
there, don't listen to this
part, because I have no business
feeling like that
about something that I feel like
I can do a little bit.
But nobody believes, so I just
say, just stick to singing.
DARA WILSON: Just singing.
BRANDY: Just stick to singing.
DARA WILSON: OK, well, I'm a
little sad about that, but
that's all right.
BRANDY: Me too.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: OK.
You can rap to me later.
BRANDY: Mmm-mmm.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: No.
OK.
So now we have a [INAUDIBLE]
question submitted from a
fellow Googler.
So Felix asks, who, if any, was
the inspiration for the
song "The Boy is Mine"?
That is an excellent
question, Felix.
BRANDY: It is.
Well actually, I was a huge
fan of "Jerry Springer."
"Jerry Springer" was hot back
in the day, let me tell you.
Everything was about boys and
fighting over them, and I was
a huge fan.
So I was like, oh my
god, I should do a
song around that subject.
DARA WILSON: You mean, you
weren't a huge fan of Jerry
Springer as a man.
The boy is not Jerry Springer.
BRANDY: No, the boy is not--
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: I just want to
clarify that for everybody.
BRANDY: Did it sound like--
yes, I'm sorry.
Jerry Springer was not the boy.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: It was the show, "Jerry
Springer", and the
subject matter.
DARA WILSON: Uh-huh.
Well that makes a
lot of sense.
BRANDY: Yes.
So I went to Rodney Jerkins, my
producer at the time, and I
was like, we should do a song
called "The Boy is Mine", and
we should put Monica on it.
People are already putting us
against each other, and we
don't even know each other.
So it would be the perfect song
to get people even more
into the feud.
So it worked out.
DARA WILSON: But the feud
is not a real thing?
BRANDY: No, it wasn't.
We didn't even know
each other.
We hadn't even met, and people
were already saying, oh, she
doesn't like her. and it was
just a whole catty thing that
was not appropriate.
DARA WILSON: Yeah.
But it worked out because
the song is incredible.
BRANDY: It did work out.
Thank you.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: And my 12-year-old
self is dancing
inside right now because
it's happy.
BRANDY: So which one were
you, Brandy or Monica?
DARA WILSON: I was Brandy,
obviously.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: I'm just kidding.
You know, because everybody
had their--
I'm just trying to check.
DARA WILSON: Your vocal
range is more within--
BRANDY: Girl, don't expand on
that, because you know they're
going to try to--
DARA WILSON: And also because
you had the best--
listen, we've got to move on.
BRANDY: Please.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: We all have our
favorite Brandy songs.
Mine is "They Boy is Mine."
But what is yours?
BRANDY: (SIGH).
I don't think I've
recorded it yet.
DARA WILSON: Mmm, that's
a real good answer.
BRANDY: That was, right?
Yeah, girl, that
was real good.
[LAUGHTER]
[APPLAUSE]
DARA WILSON: I love it.
OK, so still to come.
BRANDY: Yeah, still to come.
DARA WILSON: OK, and so you
did to win a Grammy.
And so we want to know what
that experience was like.
How did that feel?
BRANDY: Winning a Grammy
was like--
it's like you've arrived,
because that's what they say
before they introduce you.
Y'all didn't say it today.
It's cool.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: But that's
what they say--
Grammy Award winning
such-and-such.
So it just--
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: You said I did
a good job, and now you're
saying I messed up.
BRANDY: No, you did
a good job.
No, I didn't say
you messed up.
You didn't introduce
me today, did you?
You did?
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Aww.
It was a joke.
They laughed.
They laughed.
They laughed.
We good.
We good.
We good.
DARA WILSON: It's OK.
BRANDY: You can say it
now if you want to.
No, I'm just kidding.
No, but it really felt like,
oh my god, I've made it.
And that was the one
thing I wanted.
I really wanted a Grammy
for that validation,
I have to be honest.
At that age, you want
to be validated.
You made it.
And when they called our name--
because Monica won it,
too-- when they called
our name, it was so
ghetto how I reacted.
It was really, really,
really a problem.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: No class, no
etiquette, just--
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: I'm booking to the
stage like, oh my god.
I just felt like it was
just really bad.
I'm so glad it was
on the pre-show.
It wasn't on the main show
because it would have just
looked horrible how
it happened.
DARA WILSON: I'm sure we could
find some footage of that
somewhere
BRANDY: Please don't find it.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Please don't.
I'm running for my life to grab
that Grammy, seriously.
DARA WILSON: That's passion.
BRANDY: It was passion,
but it was wrong.
It was very wrong.
But I got that Grammy.
I got it.
And it felt amazing.
It really did.
DARA WILSON: Great.
BRANDY:
Yeah [APPLAUSE]
DARA WILSON: So going back to
"Moesha" a little bit--
because that little
12-year-old girl
won't let me stop--
we all know the theme song.
It's incredible.
We love it.
How did the creation
of that come about?
BRANDY: Oh, the creation of "Mo
to the E to the, Mo to--"
I don't remember.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: OK.
BRANDY: I don't even remember
recording that.
DARA WILSON: So when you say
you don't remember the
"Moesha" years, you
were being honest?
BRANDY: Yeah, I'm
being honest.
A lot of it is a blur.
I have special moments that I'll
never forget, but that
part of my life was a
blur-- is a blur.
DARA WILSON: What are some
of those special moments?
BRANDY: Well, of course, the
Maya Angelou moment.
The first episode, because
I couldn't believe I was
actually doing a television
show.
And all my friends were there,
my family friends were there.
And I had a moment where I had
to cry in the first episode,
and I'm asking everybody,
how do you cry?
So what do you do?
What's going on?
So it was like, just blow
something in your
eye and then tears.
So someone blew something in
my eye, and got a chance to
cry and played it
off pretty well.
So I remember that.
And my first kiss on television
was crazy.
DARA WILSON: Mmm-hmm.
You want to expand on that?
BRANDY: He passed away, the guy
that I-- the first kiss.
He passed away.
His name was Merlin Santana.
DARA WILSON: Oh
BRANDY: Yeah.
DARA WILSON: I remember.
BRANDY: But yeah, my first
kiss, it was interesting.
DARA WILSON: In a great way.
BRANDY:
No [LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: No?
BRANDY: He's a great guy, a
great actor, but mmm-mmm.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: I think it was because
it was in front of people and
cameras, and I was really shy.
DARA WILSON: And it was
the first time.
BRANDY: Yeah, so that
and, hmm, what else?
I'm pretty sure if someone could
help me remember things,
I would remember more.
I'm sorry.
DARA WILSON: No,
don't be sorry.
You mentioned a little bit
about having a familiar
support there.
But what is it like now trying
to balance your career with
being a mother?
BRANDY: Well, my daughter is
my biggest supporter, and
she's my biggest inspiration.
And she's just really a
sweet person inside.
And so to be a mother of someone
like that, someone I
like and love and have
a great time with,
it's truly a blessing.
And my fiance is very
supportive--
just my family in general.
I have a really great
support system.
And you need that.
You need that to keep going
and to push forward.
DARA WILSON: Awesome.
OK, and so your "BET Honors"
performance of "Without You"
received a lot of
rave reviews.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Yes.
DARA WILSON: And it
premiered on your
birthday which is amazing.
BRANDY: It did.
DARA WILSON: So can you tell
us about the experience of
doing that?
BRANDY: Yeah.
I was really nervous because I
knew that it was going to be a
lot of people in the audience.
Again, and that stage fright
thing comes on.
I knew Halle Berry was going
to be there, TD Jakes, Lisa
Leslie-- all of these great
people being honored there.
And I knew I had to
do a good job.
I knew I had to really
bring it home.
And this was the first time I
had ever performed "Without
You" on television.
And it's a favorite
of my fans.
They love this song.
So I really wanted to deliver
a great performance.
And so I just wanted to
be very creative.
So the performance
was creative.
It wasn't a lot of dancing, but
it was a moment between me
and one of my dancers.
And it was about love between
the both of us.
And I was inspired by the Pink
performance at "American Music
Awards," and I was so in love
with her performance.
I was like, now, we not going
to do no splits or no
acrobatics or nothing
like that.
But we can get the inspiration
with two people that really
love each other.
DARA WILSON: OK, so getting back
talking about the acting
a little bit, what do you
prefer, TV or film?
Where do you think you're
going to be
going in the future?
BRANDY: I like both.
I like TV and film.
I like the business of TV and
film better than the music
business, I must say that.
DARA WILSON: Why is that?
BRANDY: It's the union.
You guys know what I mean?
With the music business,
you just keep going
and going and going.
You don't have any
time to sleep.
With the TV and film, you can do
your job, and then you can
go to sleep and then wake up
the next morning and don't
have to go right back to work
because they have a union to
protect you from--
you get your 12 hours.
But in the music business,
you don't get that.
DARA WILSON: Nobody's
giving you overtime
in the music business.
BRANDY: You just keep going
and going and--
no.
But I love what I
do, so it's OK.
But the business is better.
DARA WILSON: OK, and in terms
of-- since we are at Google,
we're a technological
company--
where do you see the future
of technology and music
collaborations going
in the future?
BRANDY: Y'all got a
lot going on here.
I think you guys are already
in the future, seriously.
I can't think of anything,
seriously.
DARA WILSON: Like one day,
you're going to be singing on
Mars because of Explorer
machine that we saw?
BRANDY: I didn't know if I could
actually say that I saw
that today, but I was
on the moon today.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Mars.
I was at my old high school.
It's a lot going on
in Google today--
a lot.
So I can't think of any new--
because if I thought of some
new ideas, then--
seriously, you guys have thought
of all the ideas.
So I don't know.
I just know that it's going to
be huge, whatever it is.
And I'm really happy
to be here today.
And I'm really happy that I was
able to see everything and
to see everybody.
And I felt so comfortable.
I think I might be a little bit
too comfortable up here.
I'm cracking jokes and just
being myself, so it's great to
feel this type of energy and
just to be in the midst of
good people.
So thank you.
DARA WILSON: Well, we are
very happy to have you.
BRANDY: I didn't mean to end
the interview, but it just
seemed as though that's
where you were going.
DARA WILSON: Well, I guess
we should just wrap up.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: But I'm happy to
be here, seriously--
really happy.
DARA WILSON: Great.
[APPLAUSE]
DARA WILSON: So we are going
to have 10 minutes for
questions for the audience.
Mmm-hmm, live questions.
BRANDY: Yay.
JASMINE: Hi Brandy.
BRANDY: Hi.
DARA WILSON: Make sure you
introduce yourself.
BRANDY: My name is
Jasmine Way.
BRANDY: Hi Jasmine.
JASMINE: I work here.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Of course.
[LAUGHTER]
JASMINE: So you've penned
quite a few songs.
I'm just wondering what your
take is on song writing.
What's your favorite part, and
does it come easily for you?
BRANDY: Song writing doesn't
easy for me at all.
But when I do it, I definitely
feel amazing.
I feel more connected to the
song because I know that the
lyrics are coming from me.
But also, just songs that I
can relate to in general--
it's easier to bring that song
to life when you've actually
been through the experience or
you've actually seen somebody
else go through it and
you can relate to it.
But yeah, I like song writing,
but it doesn't
come as easy for me.
JASMINE: OK.
I have a follow-up question,
really quickly.
BRANDY: Oh, go ahead.
JASMINE: OK.
My other question is, if you
were not a singer, what do you
think that you would be--
if you weren't in the
entertainment industry?
BRANDY: If I were not in the
entertainment industry, I
would be a kick-ass lawyer.
I would represent all
of y'all, honey.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Seriously, I would
be an incredible lawyer.
I know that.
And I would do hair
and makeup.
I love doing hair and makeup
for my friends.
DARA WILSON: Why didn't
you help me out today?
BRANDY: Girl, because when
I saw you, you was
already done, honey.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: You didn't
need no help, OK?
But I got you next time.
DARA WILSON: OK.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: Go ahead.
BRANDY: Hi.
AUDIENCE: Thanks so much
for coming, Brandy.
BRANDY: Oh, thank you.
AUDIENCE: I may not look like
it, but I was a huge closet
fan back to the '90s.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: A closet fan?
DARA WILSON: So me and my male
cousins, outside of our
family, we could not talk about
it amongst our friends,
so that's why--
BRANDY: Why?
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Oh, I wasn't cool
enough for y'all?
No.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Thank you.
AUDIENCE: So I guess my question
is, my wife and I, we
just started a nonprofit
to help low income and
under-served kids with college
admissions advising, and this
is totally free.
And so one thing that we
discovered in our outreach to
these kids was a lot of them,
they look up to people like
you-- to celebrities and
artists and musicians.
And they don't realize how
much hard work it took,
outside of just having amazing
natural talent, to get to
where you are and to maintain
that level of success.
And so I guess my question is,
they feel that they can
achieve that success without
having to really work hard or
without sort of understanding
what goes into all that.
What are your thoughts
on that?
And I know you're extremely
busy, but if you would love to
help us promote higher
education--
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: All right.
AUDIENCE: --that would
be amazing, because--
BRANDY: I absolutely would
AUDIENCE: --to have star power
to say how cool and attractive
and sexy higher education
is would be a blessing.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: College
is sexy, yes.
BRANDY: Yes, sexy education.
No, I absolutely would.
And I just wanted to say that
it's impossible to succeed
without hard work.
It really is.
But I think the key to getting
to even working hard is
finding the love for
what you do.
Once you find the love for
what you do, you can push
yourself, and you can motivate
yourself to keep going because
sometimes the work just seems
like it's too much.
It's just too much,
need a break.
But if you want to keep going
and you want to get to all the
places that you want to get to,
you have to continue to
work hard, and you have to
continue to push yourself.
And that takes connecting with
the love for what you do.
That's what I think.
AUDIENCE: Great, thank you.
BRANDY: And I will put you in
touch with the right person
for the face of your charity.
No, I'm just playing.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: I'm just kidding.
[LAUGHTER]
AUDIENCE: That sounds funny.
AUDIENCE: Hi, Brandy.
BRANDY: Hi, how are you.
AUDIENCE: I'm also a huge fan.
I'm one of his cousins,
actually.
BRANDY: Hey.
[LAUGHTER]
AUDIENCE: I'm really nervous,
but I'm going to try to keep
it cool because I'm really
star-struck right now.
But you're awesome.
You're beautiful.
Thank you for coming.
BRANDY: Thank you.
Aww.
[APPLAUSE]
AUDIENCE: I actually remember
"Special Delivery," maybe 10,
11 years ago, your
documentary on--
BRANDY: 10 years ago.
AUDIENCE: --on MTV.
I was a little high school kid
just watching you going
through that stuff.
And also, I remember your more
recent reality TV on VH1.
So I just wanted to know-- just
to keep it a little bit
more informal-- if you follow
reality TV yourself, and if
so, what kind of
shows you like?
"Basketball Wives," maybe?
BRANDY: Do I follow reality?
[LAUGHTER]
AUDIENCE: "Bad Girls Club"?
I don't know, something.
BRANDY: Well, let's start with I
follow the "Mary Mary" show.
I love that show.
It's so positive.
I watch "La La" from time to
time, and I watch "Basketball
Wives LA," "Loving Hip Hop: New
York" and "Atlanta." And
yeah, I'm a reality junkie,
definitely.
AUDIENCE: Cool, thank you.
BRANDY: Definitely.
AUDIENCE: Thanks so much.
BRANDY: Mixed in with "Scandal"
and "American Idol"
and all those shows, too.
AUDIENCE: Cool, thank
you for coming.
BRANDY: You're welcome.
DARA WILSON: Thank you.
BRANDY: (LAUGHING) Do you
like reality shows?
JASON: Hey Brandy.
How you doing?
BRANDY: Hey, how are you?
JASON: My name is Jason.
Sorry, I'm a little star-struck,
so bear with me.
BRANDY: No, don't-- no, no.
JASON: I remember back in high
school, I was listening to "I
Wanna Be Down," so it goes
all the way back.
But I want to thank you for
doing "Moesha" and then
especially "The Game." My wife
and I are big fans, so we want
to know what's going to
happen with you and
Jason Pitts this season.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Well, Chardonnay
and Jason Pitts are
going to stay married.
AUDIENCE: Oh, nice.
BRANDY: You didn know
they were married?
AUDIENCE: Oh, I remembered that
from the last episode.
BRANDY: Oh, OK.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: But yeah, they're going
to stay married, and
that's all I can tell
you, because then it
wouldn't be a surprise.
JASON: Yeah, we can't
wait until March.
BRANDY: OK, cool.
That is so cute.
JASON: Thank you.
BRANDY: Thank you, Jason.
AUDIENCE: Awesome.
Hi.
BRANDY: Hey.
AUDIENCE: So I have a little
bit more of an obscure
reference, maybe.
I remember when you did
"Cinderella." [CHEERS]
BRANDY: Yes, thank you.
AUDIENCE: And it was awesome
to see this multicultural
retelling of an American
classic, Rogers and
Hammerstein.
What was that experience like?
It was huge.
I don't know if it still
is, but it's huge.
My mother-in-law is going crazy
right now somewhere once
I tell her that I asked
you this question.
BRANDY: Aww.
OK, well it was a
dream come true.
Number one, to just work with
my idol and then to be the
first African American
princess.
That was a big deal for me.
And it's so weird because when
you get older and you start to
look back on things, you really
start to appreciate--
I didn't really know what was
happening at that time.
I didn't really know what kind
of history was being made.
I didn't really understand it,
or I couldn't receive it.
But when I look back on it now,
it's like, oh my god.
What a blessing.
What a great opportunity to be
able to set that type of an
example and to be, again,
a face of possibility--
that things can actually happen
if you put your mind to
things and you just let go and
let God, you know what I mean?
So, yeah.
I love that you brought
up "Cinderella"--
AUDIENCE: I love that I
brought that up, too.
BRANDY: --because we didn't talk
about that today, really.
So thank you.
AUDIENCE: Cool.
Thanks for coming.
BRANDY: Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
SUMMER: Hi, Brandy.
I don't usually get
star-struck, but
I'm like, oh my god.
I'm going to have that moment.
And you're absolutely
beautiful in person.
BRANDY: Thank you.
SUMMER: My name is Summer, and
I have a question for you
regarding R&B music,
specifically for women.
When you came out with "Boy is
Mine" and "I Wanna Be Down,"
everything was fun.
And then you had your sultry,
very touching moments with
"Waiting to Exhale," the
song that you did
for that movie track.
Where do you see R&B music,
specifically for women, going
in the future?
BRANDY: Well I really can't
speak for other artists.
I know that I will continue to
contribute to that genre of
music because that's
where I come from.
And there is no music like
R&B. It just touches a
different place in your spirit,
and it's a freedom
there that I don't feel with
any other type of music.
I love my pop.
I love my country
and all that.
But R&B, for me, is where
I can just let loose.
And I'm going to continue
to do that.
And then music is just real
subject matters, and so I'm
just going to keep it
real in that genre.
Of course, I'm going to venture
out, too, but R&B is
where it is for me.
It's where I live.
SUMMER: And thank you for coming
back because we need
more of the real R&B
coming back.
There's not too many female
artists out there right now
that we can listen to,
so kudos to you.
BRANDY: Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
AUDIENCE: Hi.
So my heart's beating a little
bit fast, so excuse me.
But I wanted to ask you, if you
could meet anyone, dead or
alive, in the world
right now--
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: No pressure.
AUDIENCE: --who would
it be and why?
BRANDY: Oh my god.
That's a hard one.
That's a really hard one,
because I've met two of the
greatest entertainers
of all time.
Let me think about that one.
AUDIENCE: OK, take your time.
BRANDY: Let me think
about that one.
Yeah, that's a tough one,
because then if I say the
wrong thing, and then it
will be something else.
Let me really think about that
one, because I have to
represent for everybody
on that question.
AUDIENCE: OK, thank you.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: OK.
AUDIENCE: Hello, I'm so excited
to meet you again.
BRANDY: Yeah, I just met
you on the stairs.
AUDIENCE: I know.
And now--
I know.
Anyway, let me calm down.
[INAUDIBLE].
OK, I sing, too, and I love
your vocal arrangement.
BRANDY: Thank you.
AUDIENCE: Like on "Never
Say Never," "Angel In
Disguise" is like my--
anyway.
I get so excited just
talking about it.
Your vocal arrangements--
I know you said you don't write
a lot of your songs, but
do you had a hand in--
BRANDY: Oh, I vocal
arrange now.
AUDIENCE: Right.
As far as the background, do you
do it all yourself, or do
you have people?
BRANDY: Yes.
I have to take claim
for something.
AUDIENCE: Yes.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: This is an
artist right here.
BRANDY: Yes.
That is where I experienced
god is doing backgrounds.
I hear things in my head
and really able to
bring a song to life.
Now, I love the writers and
producers, but I'm taking
credit for that.
AUDIENCE: Right.
Your vocal arrangements
are awesome.
The notes that you find to
harmonize together are
amazing, and I appreciate
them.
BRANDY: And thank you for
appreciating them.
AUDIENCE: Oh, I do.
I listen to that.
BRANDY: Because a lot
of people don't
understand what it is.
They like what they hear, but
they don't really know old the
ins and outs.
AUDIENCE: No, I hear every
note you sing.
It's awesome.
BRANDY: Thank you.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
BRANDY: I love this.
AUDIENCE: Hi Brandy.
BRANDY: Hi.
AUDIENCE: You're beautiful.
BRANDY: Thank you.
You're beautiful, too.
AUDIENCE: Huge fan.
My question was going to be
to where music is going.
We hear a lot of house and a
lot more of the club beats.
Are you going to venture
into that at all?
BRANDY: House, hmm.
I'm not mad at house.
I'm not mad at it.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: But are
you joining?
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: I don't know if I'm
going to become a part of the
club, but I do appreciate
all types of music.
But I don't know if house is
about to be my new thing.
AUDIENCE: Maybe, say, on
some different tracks?
BRANDY: You want me to, huh?
AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE].
BRANDY: You want me to
explore a little bit?
AUDIENCE: I would love to hear
you more in the clubs and
everything.
I love you.
BRANDY: It's OK if
you want me to.
You said you're a fan.
I'll venture out a little bit.
Now, I can't stay.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: But we can venture
a little bit.
AUDIENCE: Thank you.
Thanks for coming.
BRANDY: You're welcome.
DARA WILSON: OK, we're going
to take these last two and
then move on.
ASHRAN: Hey, my name's Ashran.
My question is not going to be
as interesting as the others,
but I'm going to try.
Just so you know, I studied
engineering in an obscure part
in southern India, and you
are popular there.
[LAUGHTER]
[APPLAUSE]
BRANDY: Really?
DARA WILSON: [INAUDIBLE].
ASHRAN: Just so you know,
you have a new
demographic of fans today.
[APPLAUSE]
BRANDY: Yes.
ASHRAN: Anyway, I'm a vocalist
myself, [? Iranian ?]
classical.
But I want to ask you,
as a musician, you
wear different hats.
You're with legal.
You do business.
You have to do media
appearances.
There's all this circus
around you.
How do you try and disconnect
yourself when you really want
to get into a groove and not be
worried about the realities
of the business?
How do you connect with your
soul and produce good music?
BRANDY: Well, I grew up in the
business, so I had to learn
the hard way of how to
disconnect and how not to care
about what the business part
of it was all the time.
But now, I'm so in touch with my
purpose, and I'm so normal.
The business part of it,
I don't even want
to hear about it.
I don't want to deal with it,
I just want to connect with
people and connect with what
I'm supposed to do.
And that's how I
stay grounded.
That's how I stay normal.
I know you guys feel like I'm
like a big sister right now or
a friend because the business
part doesn't matter.
And I just don't deal with it.
ASHRAN: OK, cool.
Thank you.
BRANDY: My money got to
be right, though.
[LAUGHTER]
ASHRAN: Thanks.
DARA WILSON: Amen.
BRANDY: Amen.
[LAUGHTER]
AUDIENCE: Hi Brandy.
How are you?
BRANDY: Hi, how are you?
AUDIENCE: Hi.
I'm that crazy girl from
the cafeteria.
BRANDY: I just saw
that just now.
AUDIENCE: And I was like,
oh my god, it's Brandy.
But I just wanted to say hi.
I'm actually a pediatrician
from New York.
I just came into town
to visit a friend.
BRANDY: You are a cute
pediatrician.
AUDIENCE: She was like,
Brandy's here.
I was like, awesome.
I'm going to come
get to meet her.
[LAUGHTER]
AUDIENCE: And then
I saw you in the
cafeteria two minutes later.
It was awesome.
Anyhow, I do motivational
speaking on the side, and I
wanted to ask you what motivates
you, because I want
to share that with the kids
that I speak with
when I go back home.
BRANDY: Just in general?
AUDIENCE: Yeah, whatever.
Go wherever you want with it.
BRANDY: Oh my god, my
family motivates me.
My friends, they motivate me.
My love for what I do, it helps
me to strive and to
continue to push forward even
when I don't want to.
Just life in general,
life is a school.
You learn so many different
things about yourself with
different experiences.
And that, in itself, can create
new creations and new
opportunities for you
to express yourself.
AUDIENCE: Awesome.
I agree.
So I'm going to jump in like
that other guy-- if I could
get that on video, you could
share with the kids.
They'll love it.
BRANDY: OK, absolutely.
You should have got
that on camera.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: That's what the
camera phone is for, right?
BRANDY: [INAUDIBLE].
DARA WILSON: Well,
thank you all so
much for your questions.
They were really insightful
and interesting.
BRANDY: I know.
This was so much fun.
DARA WILSON: And we have one
more fun thing for you.
BRANDY: Y'all don't have
me leaving in here.
I don't even want to leave.
Babe, get a new flight.
We gonna stay.
DARA WILSON: Since we have
just a little bit of time
left, we're going to do
rapid fire with you.
I'm going to ask you 10
either/or questions.
BRANDY: Oh, OK.
DARA WILSON: They're here.
OK, you ready?
You got to answer as quickly
as possible.
There's no pressure.
BRANDY: It's alreayd done.
DARA WILSON: But it's
really important.
BRANDY: Go ahead.
DARA WILSON: OK.
LA--
BRANDY: LA.
DARA WILSON: OK.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: Truth or dare?
BRANDY: Truth.
DARA WILSON: Early riser
or night owl?
BRANDY: Early riser.
DARA WILSON: Lakers
or Celtics?
BRANDY: Lakers.
[CHEERS]
BRANDY: Girl, don't
play with me.
They ain't doing well right
now, but you know.
Love you, Lakers.
DARA WILSON: Martin
or Fresh Prince?
BRANDY: Martin.
DARA WILSON: Mmm.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Love you, Will, but
it's Martin all day.
DARA WILSON: OK.
OK.
Coffee or tea?
BRANDY: Tea.
DARA WILSON: Diamonds
or pearls?
BRANDY: Neither, except
for this diamond.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: I'm not a diamond girl,
but I like this one.
DARA WILSON: OK.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: SWV or TLC?
BRANDY: Ooh, that's
a tough one.
SWV because Coko's vocals--
[APPLAUSE]
BRANDY: Coko's vocals,
oh my god.
DARA WILSON: Yes.
OK, I agree with that one.
BRANDY: Sorry to expand.
I know we supposed to be fast.
Go ahead.
BRANDY: Autumn or spring?
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Autumn.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: I don't know why.
I'm an LA girl because the
autumn and spring is the same.
DARA
WILSON: OK [LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: And
salty or sweet?
BRANDY: Mmm.
DARA WILSON: Mmm.
BRANDY: Ooh, slow--
sweet.
DARA WILSON: Where's
your fiance?
OK.
BRANDY: Oh, not in
that category.
Salty, honey.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: Oh, lord
have mercy.
OK, we gonna wrap this up.
BRANDY: He's sweet though, too.
He's both.
He's both.
He's sweet and salty.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: All right.
Well, Brandy, we have
obviously had a
wonderful time with you.
BRANDY: That was TMI?
DARA WILSON: Well--
no.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Well, salty and sweet
go together when you're in a
relationship.
DARA WILSON: Well, that's
very sweet.
OK.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: We want to thank
you so much for coming.
BRANDY: Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
DARA WILSON: We have a
little gift for you.
I'm not going to get up because
I don't know what this
dress is going to do.
BRANDY: Thank you.
Open it right now?
DARA WILSON: OK?
BRANDY: Wait?
DARA WILSON: Yeah.
BRANDY: OK.
DARA WILSON: OK.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Y'all, seriously,
thank you.
I had a great time
with you guys.
I love to laugh.
I love to share.
And you did an awesome
job, seriously.
DARA WILSON: Thank
you very much.
[APPLAUSE]
BRANDY: Really.
And it felt like we were just
old friends connecting.
[? Dope. ?]
DARA WILSON: We will be.
BRANDY: I know.
[LAUGHTER]
BRANDY: Those are the best
interviews is when you can
connect to the person, and I
connected to all of you guys.
DARA WILSON: You guys have
been a fantastic
audience, so thank you.
BRANDY: You have.
Y'all laughed at all my jokes.
That doesn't happen normally.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: So one final
piece of business.
There are four Google Play
autographed gift cards
underneath the seats--
four seats.
This makes sense.
So check under you seat
and see if you're one
of the lucky people.
BRANDY: It ain't under
your seat.
Don't even bother checking.
[LAUGHTER]
DARA WILSON: If you have them,
can you scream, or--
[CHEERS]
DARA WILSON: --we'll
take a picture?
Yeah, we have time for that.
BRANDY: OK, good.
DARA WILSON: OK.
All right, congratulations
to the lucky winners.
Thank you everybody
for coming.
BRANDY: Thank you.
DARA WILSON: Goodbye.
[CHEERS]
