Brandy has her fans on the edge of their seat, waiting for new music. However, the R&B veteran surely has her plate full in 2012 between acting and her return to singing. She recently spoke with Billboard.com, stating that she’s ready to grow musically on her sixth studio album, which is tentatively slated for March 2012.
“What I’m truly excited about is how the album is all about R&B and figuring out the new sound of R&B, and that was the challenge for me. I wanted to do something different — I didn’t want to just sing about love over regular beats,” says the 32-year-old singer. “I think the fans have been very patient with me, but I just wanted to make sure that this album was right — the right type of music, the right core. I feel like we’re getting to that point where I felt comfortable with putting something out.”
Frank Ocean also collaborated with Brandy on the album, after landing a writing credit on the Human track “1st & Love.” “We’ve always had that great chemistry, and we both understand music in the same ways,” Brandy says of Ocean. “To work with him on this album was great as well, and I hope I can get in [the studio] with him some more because his music is just so moving; I’m inspired by him. I think he’s a great artist and he hasn’t even touched on what he will touch on in the future.”
Brandy began working on the follow-up to 2008’s Human a year ago, when her new deal with RCA/Chameleon Records was finalized. The still-untitled album features production and songwriting work from an all-star team that includes Sean Garrett, Rico Love, Bangladesh, Timbaland and Jim Jonsin.
While the tentative release date for the album may change (“We’re aiming for March, but I don’t know if March is going to be the actual time the album comes out,” she says), Brandy says that, whenever the album is released, her first extended tour since 2009 will soon follow. “I haven’t been on tour in God knows how long, so it’s definitely time to revisit the stage and really look at the fans eye-to-eye. Nothing beats that,” she says.
Brandy is currently shooting a supporting role in Tyler Perry’s “The Marriage Counselor,” the big-screen adaptation of Perry’s 2008 play due out next year. In the meantime, the former “Moesha” star will return to TV on “The Game,” where she’ll portray a feisty bartender named Chardonnay. The singer has signed on to appear on 10 episodes of the BET series beginning Jan. 10.
via Billboard
