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.
Turn It Up
Brandy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give me a sour power
I'ma need a sponge roller and some sweet pajamas
Give me some Donnie Simpson
On Video Soul where I got my first attention
Cause I don't want to sound familiar
Want a guaranteed single, not an album filler
Give me some 90's music
[Chorus]
All my people they hear this and be askin' 'what?'
Brandy on the radio, turn it up!
Timbaland, you know how to bang the club
Give my people something to shake their butts
All my people they hear this and be askin' 'what?'
Brandy on the radio, turn it up!
Timbaland, you know how to bang the clubs
Give my people something to shake their butts
It's something big!
[Verse 2]
The Kid n' Play reunion
Give me House Party, give me House of Music
Yup, gimme 92 and
Lemme do my thing on it so they won't refuse it
Make it hot, get Babygirl's attention
She's more than a woman and we sure do miss her
I want to represent her
Timabaland, Missy, you get the picture
[Repeat: x4]
Give it up, we gon' show you how we party
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
Bang this joint for all the clubs
All my people, all my folks
Hit the streets and tell your friends
Your girl Brandy is back again
Is everybody ready?
Here I come
Is everybody ready?
It's been long enough
Is everybody ready?
I'm overdue
Is everybody ready?
Here for you
[Chorus]
Give me a sour power
I'ma need a sponge roller and some sweet pajamas
Give me some Donnie Simpson
On Video Soul where I got my first attention
Give me a sour power
I'ma need a sponge roller and some sweet pajamas
Give me some Donnie Simpson
On Video Soul where I got my first attention
[Repeat: x4]
Give me some 90's music
I want Timbaland on it, I know he can do it
Give me some 90's music
I want Timbaland on it, I know he can do it
In "Turn It Up," Brandy expresses her nostalgia for the 90s music era and her desire for a radio hit that will get people dancing. The lyrics are filled with references to popular cultural icons from the era, such as Donnie Simpson of Video Soul and the popular movie House Party from the Kid n' Play duo. Brandy makes it clear that she wants to be heard and recognized in a crowded industry, seeking a guaranteed hit song rather than settling for an album filler.
The chorus of the song calls for listeners to turn up the radio and for Timbaland to create a club banger that will make people move. Brandy believes that Timbaland can deliver the right beat that will shake people's butts in the club. The bridge is another call to action, urging fans to spread the word that Brandy is back and ready to make an impact in the music world.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me a sour power
I need some energizing to get this party started.
I'ma need a sponge roller and some sweet pajamas
I want to make sure I look good while I dance the night away.
Give me some Donnie Simpson
Bring back memories of my first favorite TV host.
On Video Soul where I got my first attention
I discovered my love for music on this show.
Cause I don't want to sound familiar
I want to create a unique sound.
Want a guaranteed single, not an album filler
I want to create a hit single that stands out from my other songs.
Give me some 90's music
Let's bring back the good old days when music was great.
I want Timbaland on it, I know he can do it
I trust Timbaland to produce a hit that people will love.
All my people they hear this and be askin' 'what?'
I want people to take notice of my music.
Brandy on the radio, turn it up!
I want people to turn up the volume and dance to my music.
Timbaland, you know how to bang the club
I trust Timbaland to create a hit that will make people dance.
Give my people something to shake their butts
I want people to dance and have fun while listening to my music.
The Kid n' Play reunion
Bring back the classic party movies.
Give me House Party, give me House of Music
I want people to party like they did in those classic movies.
Yup, gimme 92 and
Take me back to the 90s where the music was great.
Lemme do my thing on it so they won't refuse it
I want to add my own unique spin to the classic 90s sound.
Make it hot, get Babygirl's attention
I want to honor a great artist who we lost too soon.
She's more than a woman and we sure do miss her
A tribute to Aaliyah, who was taken from us too soon.
I want to represent her
I want to keep Aaliyah's spirit alive in my music.
Timbaland, Missy, you get the picture
I trust Timbaland and Missy to create a hit that will honor Aaliyah's legacy.
Give it up, we gon' show you how we party
Let's have fun and dance the night away.
Bang this joint for all the clubs
Let's create a hit that will be played in all the clubs.
All my people, all my folks
My music is for everyone to enjoy.
Hit the streets and tell your friends
Spread the word about my music and let's have a party.
Your girl Brandy is back again
I'm back and ready to make great music.
Is everybody ready?
Are you ready to party and have a good time?
It's been long enough
It's time to return to the music scene after a break.
I'm overdue
I've been away too long and it's time to come back stronger than ever.
Here for you
I'm here to create music that you'll love and dance to.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WALTER WORTH MILSAP, TIMOTHY Z MOSLEY, CANDICE NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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