Brandy braces for a comeback year in 2012

theGRIO REPORT - With a slew of new projects on her plate, the singer-actress Brandy Norwood is bracing for a comeback year in 2012....

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

With a slew of new projects on her plate, the singer-actress Brandy Norwood is bracing for a comeback year in 2012.

This week BET announced that Brandy joined the cast of BET’s hit scripted show The Game. The R&B singer will play Chardonnay, a “sassy bartender” who will become a love interest for Coby Bell’s character, Jason.

”’With The Game, I’ve joined the talented cast of a smart and entertaining TV show and I get to work with the amazing [show creator] Mara Brock Akil,” Brandy said in a statement.

The Game is scheduled to return to TV January 10, but that is not the only project Brandy is focusing on for the upcoming year.

The 32-year-old mother is also in the studio working on a new album and will be appearing in Tyler Perry’s new movie, The Marriage Counselor.

“I’m working on a film with Tyler Perry, who’s a genius and someone I’ve always wanted to work with, AND I’m back in the studio working on a new album, Brandy said. Talk about being blessed! I’m surrounded by inspired writers and producers who believe in me as an artist and who want to bless the world with timeless music. Music gives my life a purpose and I’m thankful it lives in me.”

Brandy was one of the “it-girls” of the 90’s.

The singer won a Grammy Award in in 1999 for best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group for her hit song The Boy Is Mine.

She cut her acting chops while starring on her successful UPN sitcom Moesha for 5 years.

She tackled a film career with roles in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer in 1998, Cinderella in 1997, and Double Platinum in 1999.

Brandy soon shifted her focus to motherhood and has remained out of the public spotlight for the majority of the past decade.

In 2006 the songstress was involved in a fatal car accident. The accident claimed the life of 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj, the driver of the car that was struck by her Range Rover. Though she was at fault, Brandy was neither arrested nor charged with vehicular manslaughter, due to “insufficient evidence.”

Brandy was outspoken about the pain and grief the accident caused herself and her family when she appeared alongside her brother on their Vh1 reality show Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business.

The singer recently competed on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. She quickly became a fan favorite and received high marks from the judges, but was shockingly eliminated during the semi-finals.

But today, she is starting a new chapter in her career, and hoping for the best.

With a new album, a new sitcom and a role in an upcoming major film, Brandy is proving now more than ever that she is ready to leave behind her painful past and focus again on the talents that made her a star.

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