Born in McComb, Mississippi, Norwood was raised in Carson, California, beginning her career as a backing vocalist for teen groups. After signing with Atlantic Records in 1993, she released her self-titled debut album, Brandy, the following year, which sold six million copies worldwide. Norwood ventured into acting with the UPN sitcom Moesha (1996–2001), which won her an NAACP Image Award, and resulted in numerous other roles, such as the titular character in the television film Cinderella (1997) and Karla Wilson in the slasher film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998). Her musical breakthrough came with the wildly successful single "The Boy Is Mine" (1998), a duet with fellow R&B contemporary Monica, which went on to become one of the best selling female duets of all time. Her second album, Never Say Never, won Norwood her first Grammy Award. In 2002, Norwood starred in the reality series Brandy: Special Delivery, documenting the birth of her daughter. Her third and fourth albums, Full Moon (2002) and Afrodisiac (2004), were released to critical success.
Norwood served as a judge on the first season of America's Got Talent before being involved in a heavily publicized car accident in 2006. Norwood's fifth album, Human (2008), was released to positive reviews, although it was a commercial failure. In 2010, she returned to television as a contestant on the eleventh season of Dancing with the Stars and starred in the reality series Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business. She was a series regular in the BET series The Game (2012–2015) and released her sixth album Two Eleven (2012) thereafter, both earning her critical praise. In April 2015, Norwood made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago. She starred in and executive produced a sitcom titled Zoe Ever After on BET which premiered in January 2016. In July 2020, Norwood released her seventh studio album, B7, also her first project as an independent artist, to critical acclaim. In 2021, Norwood starred alongside Naturi Naughton, Eve and Nadine Velazquez in American Broadcasting Company's music drama series Queens to critical acclaim.
In June 2022, Norwood announced her major label return after signing with Motown Records under which she is expected to preprare her eighth studio album.
After the Flood
Brandy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm dryin' all up
I'ma change all my plans
So I can take a stand
I'ma clear it up
I'm dryin' all up
I'ma change all my plans
So I can take a stand
Verse 1:
I'm in here freezing
My mouth turning blue
This time not from screaming
But crying for you
You gave me a teardrop
I gave you a flood
But I'm lost in here now
And you just gave up
Bridge:
I can't believe it's over taking me
Feel like I'm drowning from the hurt, oh no
My feelings were securing me
But now the dam has let my feelings go
Chorus:
Love is a natural disaster
Can't stop it from happenin'
Just make the day after
Day after the flood
It's like a natural disaster
I'm gonna outlast it
'Til the day after
Day after the flood
Day after the flood
Day after the flood
I'm dryin' all up
I'ma change all my plans
So I can take a stand
I'ma clear it up
I'm dryin' all up
I'ma change all my plans
So I can take a stand
I'ma clear it up
I'm dryin' all up
I'ma change all my plans
So I can take a stand
I'ma clear it up
I'm dryin' all up
I'ma change all my plans
So I can take a stand
Storm is over
Verse 2:
I'm floating in sorrow
I'm way past a leak
I feel a tsunami
Right here on my cheek
But after the storm
I can see my relief
Cuz all of my pain
Is floating around me
Bridge
Chorus
I'm dryin' all up
I'ma change all my plans
So I can take a stand
I'ma clear it up
I'm dryin' all up
I'ma change all my plans
So I can take a stand
I'ma clear it up
I'm dryin' all up
I'ma change all my plans
So I can take a stand
I'ma clear it up
I'm dryin' all up
I'ma change all my plans
So I can take a stand
Storm is over
Bridge
Chorus
The song "After the Flood" by Brandy is an emotional song about a difficult breakup. The song uses natural disaster imagery to describe the intensity and power of love and its aftermath. The lyrics suggest that just as one cannot prevent a natural disaster from happening, one cannot stop love from happening. The chorus emphasizes the idea that even after the worst has passed, one must still face the aftermath and work on picking up the pieces and moving forward.
In the first verse, the singer describes the pain and sadness of heartbreak. The metaphor of crying for someone creating a flood is a powerful one, emphasizing the intensity of the emotions involved. The bridge suggests that the singer is overwhelmed by her feelings and that the breakup has hit her hard.
The chorus emphasizes that love is like a natural disaster, powerful and unstoppable. The metaphor of the flood suggests that even after the worst has passed, there is still much work to be done to clean up and rebuild. The repeated lines at the end of the chorus suggest that the singer is committed to surviving the storm and moving forward.
Overall, the song "After the Flood" is a poignant expression of the pain and struggle of a broken heart. The natural disaster imagery adds depth and power to the emotional journey of the song. The message is one of hope and resilience, suggesting that even in the aftermath of a devastating event, it is possible to rebuild and move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm dryin' all up
I'm getting better and recovering from the hurt
I'ma change all my plans
I'm adjusting my future plans in order to move on
So I can take a stand
So I can stand up for myself and my decisions
I'ma clear it up
I'm going to clear my mind and emotions in order to move forward
Storm is over
The hurt and pain are finally dissipating
I'm in here freezing
I'm feeling extremely cold and alone
My mouth turning blue
I'm feeling so cold that it's affecting my physical state
This time not from screaming
I'm not feeling this way because I'm angry
But crying for you
But because I'm heartbroken and missing you
You gave me a teardrop
You hurt me slightly
I gave you a flood
But I hurt you greatly with my emotions
But I'm lost in here now
And now I'm feeling lost and alone without you
And you just gave up
While you just gave up on us without trying to fix it
I can't believe it's over taking me
I can't believe that the pain of our breakup has consumed me
Feel like I'm drowning from the hurt, oh no
I feel like I'm drowning in my own hurt and pain
My feelings were securing me
My feelings for you used to make me feel secure
But now the dam has let my feelings go
But now I am overwhelmed and flooded with emotions
Love is a natural disaster
Love can cause chaos and destruction in our lives
Can't stop it from happenin'
We can't prevent ourselves from falling in love
Just make the day after
But we must focus on moving forward and healing after it ends
I'm gonna outlast it
I will overcome and outlast the hurt and pain
'Til the day after
Until I can finally move on from this
I'm floating in sorrow
I'm feeling overwhelmed with sadness
I'm way past a leak
My emotions are no longer just a trickle, but a flood
I feel a tsunami
I feel like my emotions are an uncontrollable force
Right here on my cheek
As tears roll down my face
But after the storm
But once the worst of the pain has passed
I can see my relief
I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel
Cuz all of my pain
Because all of my hurt and pain
Is floating around me
Is finally dissipating and leaving me
Contributed by Layla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
David Hayward
This is one of my fave brandy joints. It's sad the general public doesn't get hear this brandy.
Taiwo Jane
Nice track....love you brandy!!!
MoniMeka P
i love this song. Brandy is a beast.
Minimah Billings
Now they KNOW this should have been on the album.😒🤦🏽♀️😵💫😫💕💕💕💕🔥🔥🔥🔥🎶🎶🎶🎶🤩🤩🤩🤩
Stoned Mermaid
Bitch 😂 right! The disrespect
SootAlista7ala
um the lyris are strong, am loving it..i always love brandy's choice in lyrics.
David Morgan
Not only should this have been on the album, it should have been a SINGLE! Smh
Rod
This song will put you all up them feels
SootAlista7ala
I looooveeeee this songggg
Billy Jack
but i'm lost in here now and you just gave up! just gave up. Brandy, thanks for your expression!