Eight years seems like a lifetime to wait, finally GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter Brandy releases her highly anticipated seventh studio album, b7, today via Brand Nu Entertainment/Entertainment One (“eOne”). Executive produced by Brandy along with DJ Camper and LaShawn Daniels, this 15-track confessional is her most personal to date as she debuts her writing skills for the first time in her career. With songs like “No Tomorrow” and the instant-grat track “Rather Be,” Brandy was able to take her life’s lessons and channel them into her first masterpiece as an independent artist.
The album also features Daniel Caesar on the GRAMMY- nominated single “Love Again,” which has garnered over 85 million streams worldwide, Chance The Rapper, and her daughter Sy-rai Smith who appears on the single “High Heels” and background vocals for “Baby Mama.” Other featured producers and writers include Hit Boy, Cory Rooney, Victoria Monét, Antonio “Tony” Dixon, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk among others. The album is available now at all physical and digital retailers.
Also today, she releases the powerful video for her new single “Borderline.” The dark, edgy track has Brandy interrogating her relationship with love over a hypnotic, downtempo groove. The haunting video for “Borderline” was directed by Derek Blanks and illustrates the darker, emotional loneliness that can take over a romantic relationship.
“This is my most personal album to date, every song tells a story.”
Brandy
Borderline” is at radio now and follows her single, “Baby Mama,” which is currently Top 10 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Songs chart. b7 marries the silky, smooth vibe she established on Never Say Never with the groundbreaking experimentation of Full Moon, albums that are revered as R&B blueprints for their use of multi-layered harmonies, unconventional song structures and forward-thinking electro-soul beats. The album explores Brandy’s journey over the last few years, and how she came to be the resilient, spiritually grounded women she is today.
b7 Track listing
Saving All My Love
Unconditional Oceans
Rather Be
All My Life, Pt. 1
Lucid Dreams
Borderline
No Tomorrow
Say Something
All My Life, Pt. 2
I Am More
High Heels (Brandy & Sy’rai)
Baby Mama (feat. Chance the Rapper)
All My Life, Pt. 3
Love Again (Brandy & Daniel Caesar)
Bye Bipolar
Fans can stay updated on new music and more by logging onto www.4everbrandy.com.
“God’s Plan” Named Song of The Year; Tay Keith and Post Malone Presented with Songwriter of the Year Award; Tay Keith and Wheezy Beatz Named Producer of the Year and Sony/ATV Received Publisher of the Year
SANDY SPRINGS, GEORGIA – AUGUST 29: BMI President & CEO, Mike O’Neill, 2019 BMI President’s Award Recipient, Brandy Norwood, BMI Vice President of Creative Atlanta, Catherine Brewton, and Ray J pose onstage during The 2019 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards at Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center on August 29, 2019 in Sandy Springs, Georgia. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for BMI)
BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) celebrated the songwriters, producers and publishers of the past year’s most-performed R&B/hip-hop songs during the 2019 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards held at the Sandy Springs Arts Center in Atlanta. Multiple-award-winning singer/songwriter and actress Brandy received the BMI President’s Award in recognition of her powerful impact on the entertainment industry and her timeless hits, which have secured her place in R&B history.
Hosted by BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI Vice President, Creative, Atlanta, Catherine Brewton, the evening included stellar performances by some of the hottest artists on the music scene. The ceremony kicked off with a moving tribute video in honor of the late rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle to celebrate his musical legacy and remarkable philanthropic work. Atlanta-based rapper Gunna followed with a medley of his biggest hits, ending with his smash “Drip Too Hard” featuring Lil Baby, who joined him on stage for the performance. Afterwards, Gunna received a special award in recognition of the song garnering one billion streams. TV personality and comedian, DC Young Fly then presented Memphis rapper NLE Choppa with the 2019 BMI Social Star Award.
The evening also featured a series of special tributes to Brandy, which began with contemporary R&B singer/songwriter Jade Novah performing a beautiful rendition of “Talk About Our Love.” The tributes continued with Samoht singing a stripped-down version of “Brokenhearted,” followed by gospel singer Kierra Sheard’s sultry performance of two of Brandy’s power ballads, “Have You Ever” and “He Is.” Eric Bellinger rounded out the tributes with “Baby” and “Nothing” which had the audience singing along. Brandy’s brother, Ray J, took to the stage and serenaded his sister with “Best Friend” before she was presented with the BMI President’s Award. Brandy accepted the accoladed with an impromptu performance, encouraged by the audience, of “I Wanna Be Down,” before singing her iconic hit “Almost Doesn’t Count.”
The event also honored the top producers and songwriters of the previous year’s 35 bestperforming R&B/hip-hop songs in the U.S. from BMI’s repertoire of more than 14 million musical works. Wheezy Beatz tied for Producer of the Year with Tay Keith. Keith also received the coveted Songwriter of the Year award, an honor he shared with Post Malone, marking his second tie for the evening. Song of the Year went to “God’s Plan” by Yung Exclusive and Marciano and Sony/ATV was named Publisher of the Year for having 18 of the most performed songs of the year including “Sicko Mode,” “I Like It” and “In My Feelings.”
As the 2019 BMI President’s Award honoree, Brandy joins previous recipients Curtis Mayfield, Ludacris, Toni Braxton and Will.i.am, among others in sharing this distinction.
