As Brandy celebrates receiving a key to the city of her hometown Macomb, Mississippi, her appearance sparked speculation about her weight loss, and the legendary singer is addressing it.
Her accomplishments were acknowledged by city, state and county leaders who presented her with the first of its kind key presented by Pike County, according to That Grape Juice. The honors didn’t end there as Brandy will be one of the featured artists in a planned music museum in Mississippi, to which she donated memorabilia including her very first Brandy doll, a signed copy of her first album on vinyl and Moesha props.
“Every summer this city opened me with open arms,” she said during the ceremony. “My grandparents, my Auntie Bag that’s here today, I love you. Family that loved me so completely that I never questioned if I belonged. Love is simply the language that we spoke. McComb taught me something that the world would take years to teach me. Slow down.”
This is the latest honor for Brandy, who recently took home the Icon Award during Grammys weekend and received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earlier this year. Before taking the stage at this year’s ESSENCE Festival, she was also given the Legend Award at the ESSENCE Black Women In Music luncheon, where she spoke about her indelible influence on the artists who have come after her.
Though her fans are, undoubtedly, overjoyed to watch her receive her well-deserved flowers, what they’ve been wanting more than anything is new music from the r&b superstar. And it’s look like she may have something in the works. While in Mississippi, she revealed that she’s feeling inspired to return to the studio.
“You know what? I’ve been hearing about I should do a new album, [so] I think I wanna do a new album,” she told local reporter Kayla Thompson. “I gotta do something because I want to perform – so I better get to it.”
Brandy’s last album, 2020’s B7, was released to both critical and fan acclaim as her incredible vocals were on full display throughout the transparent and vulnerable project. However, many wondered if it would be her last as she had shared her reluctancy to return to music citing her own anxiety with living up to the Brandy of the past.
In addition to pressure about performing like her previous projects, Brandy felt the scrutiny of fans speculating about her weight and slim appearance.
Brandy Shuts Down Speculation About Her Health Over Her Weight & Slimmer Appearance: ‘I’ve Stopped Trying To Earn My Reflection’
With that behind her, Brandy has appeared stronger and more confident in who she is since embarking on the Boy Is Mine Tour last year, alongside Monica, and releasing her memoir Phases. Her newfound strength will likely be on display in the music she creates but for now, she’s also using it to fight back against critics of her appearance. Following a string of appearances, social media users began speculating about her “thinner than usual” frame but Brandy, who has been open about her struggles with eating disorders in the past, was not here for the negativity.
“I’ve learned that it takes only a moment to form an opinion about someone’s appearance, and a lifetime to understand what they’ve lived through,” she said in a post on IG. “So may we become gentler with one another. Not because everyone is fragile, but because everyone is carrying a story we cannot see. Our words have weight. Our judgments have weight. Our kindness does too.”
She continued,
“Before you speak about someone’s body, before you speak about someone’s face, before you decide who they are by what you see, remember, you are looking at someone’s child.”
Well said, Bran!