R&B/pop superstar Brandy was presented with the 2,839th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday (March 30), also heralded as Brandy Day by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
“So this really happened, huh?” an emotional Brandy said during her acceptance speech amidst a chorus of audience cheers and shout-outs. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter continued in part, “I was just a little girl with a big dream, but growing up in Hollywood made those dreams feel close enough to touch; seeing the stars on the Walk of Fame lit something in me. It made me believe. It made me affirm … ‘I’m going to sing my way onto one of these stars.’ And I did. That is what makes this moment so profound for me.”
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Prior to taking the podium, Brandy was feted by guest speakers/friends Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Issa Rae. Edmonds, who worked with Brandy on 1995’s Waiting to Exhale soundtrack, referenced that project — which also featured one of the film’s stars, Whitney Houston — in his comments.
“When Whitney and I sat down, we went over a list of who we wanted to be on the album,” said Babyface. “Yours was the first name that came up. ‘I want Brandy,’ she said, because you had one of the best voices she had ever heard. And I agreed. When we recorded that song [‘Sittin’ Up in My Room’] in my house … I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I’m just here to say that for me, you have one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. You give one of the best feelings I’ve ever heard. The soul that’s in your voice; the way you move your voice; you’re like an athlete. No one can do it the way you do it. And there’s always heart. With everything that you sing, you put your whole heart into it. That’s what I appreciate about you most.”
In her remarks, actress/writer/producer Rae noted she’s been a fan since fourth grade by way of Brandy’s R&B hit “I Wanna Be Down” — the first single Rae ever bought with her own allowance money. Going on to cite other Brandy career highlights beyond recording, including her work in television’s Moesha and Cinderella as that fairytale’s first Black lead, plus her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago, Rae added, “The most inspirational part of her career is just how she had no lanes. As her career progressed, so did her ambitions. To me, Brandy was and is the blueprint. Without Brandy as Moesha, there’s no The Parkers, no Girlfriends, no Insecure … I just want to thank you so much for your impact. Thank you for showing a little girl from L.A. that her story was worth telling. This star has always been yours.”
Before witnessing the formal unveiling of her star, Brandy said, “A star on the Walk of Fame is a definition of legacy. It doesn’t just celebrate your success; it cements your story. It doesn’t just honor your work; it immortalizes your light. It is a symbol that says you didn’t just arrive, you endured. You didn’t just dream, you became. It means you made it in a way that stands the test of time. Not just in popularity, not just in the moment, but in a way that leaves fingerprints on culture, on art and on history. Dreams don’t have an expiration date. … So today, I stand grateful, humbled, inspired and most of all, I stand as living proof that what you speak over your life with faith, consistency and belief can one day meet you in reality.”
Among attendees celebrating the occasion with Brandy were her daughter, mother and father along with her “The Boy Is Mine” duet partner Monica, Kehlani, producer Warryn Campbell, his wife gospel singer Erica Campbell, and the cast of Moesha.