[6][7][8] Raised in a Christian household, Norwood started singing through her father's work as part of the choir at Southside Church of Christ, performing her first gospel solo at the age of two.

[10] Norwood's interest in music and performing increased after becoming a fan of singer Whitney Houston at the age of seven,[11][12] but at school, she experienced trouble with persuading teachers to send her on auditions as she found no support among the staff.

[9] Initially broadcast to high ratings, the series' viewership dwindled and ended up running for only one season, but earned her a Young Artists Award nomination for Outstanding Youth Ensemble alongside her co-stars.

[14] In 1995, she finished a two-month stint as the opening act on Boyz II Men's national tour,[22] and contributed songs to the soundtracks of the films Batman Forever and Waiting to Exhale, with the single "Sittin' Up in My Room" becoming another top-two success.

Appearing alongside William Allen Young and Sheryl Lee Ralph, she played the title role of Moesha Mitchell, a Los Angeles girl coping with a stepmother as well as the pressures and demands of becoming an adult.

[14] In 1997, Brandy, Ray J, and their parents started The Norwood Kids Foundation, which helps disadvantaged, at-risk youths in Los Angeles and Mississippi through the arts and self-help programs.

Exploiting the media's presumption of a rivalry between the two young singers, the song was one of the most successful records in the United States of all time,[29] spending a record-breaking thirteen weeks atop the Billboard charts, and eventually garnering the pair a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

[30] Critics rated the album highly, with AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praising Norwood and her team for wisely finding "a middle ground between Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige—it's adult contemporary with a slight streetwise edge.

"[43] Within the coming year, Norwood and Robert "Big Bert" Smith began writing and producing for other artists such as Toni Braxton, Kelly Rowland, and Kiley Dean.

[45] Norwood ended her contract with his Los Angeles-based Handprint Entertainment after less than a year of representation following controversies surrounding Medina's handling of the lead single "Talk About Our Love", and failed negotiations of a purported co-headlining tour with R&B singer Usher.

[84] In March 2013, Norwood returned to film, joining an ensemble cast consisting of Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Lance Gross and Vanessa L. Williams in Tyler Perry's drama Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor.

[86][87] In June 2013, Norwood signed with Creative Artists Agency, headquartered in Los Angeles,[88] and in early 2014, she arranged a management deal with MBK Entertainment with CEO Jeff Robinson.

[93] After finishing the filming of the final season of The Game, Norwood made her Broadway debut in the musical Chicago, in which she played the lead role of Roxie Hart, beginning in April 2015.

[100] In January 2016, Norwood co-executive produced and starred as the lead in the BET sitcom Zoe Ever After,[101] a multi-camera romantic comedy about a newly single mom stepping out of the shadow of her famous boxer ex-husband.

[104] The same month, Norwood released the standalone single "Beggin & Pleadin" through her own label Slayana Records, after receiving a positive response to initially unveiling the track on SoundCloud.

[113] The same year, she appeared on "Optimistic", a Sounds of Blackness cover that preceded the self-titled debut of supergroup August Greene, consisting of Common, Robert Glasper and Karriem Riggins,[114] as well as on Dutch DJ's Lucas & Steve's "I Could Be Wrong", a dance-heavy rework of her 1994 single "I Wanna Be Down" that became a minor hit on the dance charts.

[140][141] Also that month, Norwood, alongside Naturi Naughton, Eve and Nadine Velazquez, joined the cast of ABC's music drama series Queens in which she played one-fourth of a veteran hip-hop group.

[180] Music critic and Slant Magazine writer Andrew Chan describes Norwood's vocal tone as having "an unusual mix of warmth and cold, hard edges".

She never leaves her voice hanging in spotlit scarcity, folding its variegated terracing, whispering out the lead track, shouting in the back-up, and piling each song with enough interlocking sounds to create the tightly packed illusion of vocal massiveness.

[185] She sang about love while also highligting other topics such as, "tributes to her little brother ("Best Friend"), God ("Give Me You"), the perfect man ("Baby") and older crooners like Aretha and Whitney ("I Dedicate")".

[31] Her third studio album Full Moon saw Norwood, and her then-creative partner Rodney Jerkins, experiment with blending her previous R&B sounds with futuristic, forward-thinking productions, including influences of 2-step garage and electro-funk.

[187] In 2004, her recent motherhood, life experiences, and growing affinity for British rock band Coldplay, caused her to shift toward a more experimental vision for her fourth studio album Afrodisiac.

The album, a collaboration with producers Timbaland and Kanye West, utilized the distinctive illbient aesthetic, which fuses ambient pop, dub, and breakbeat soundscapes with progressive sampling methods.

[190] A four-year hiatus and a few life-changing occurrences caused Norwood to return to the music industry in late 2008 with Human, her fifth studio album, which discussed topics of love, heartache and honesty.

"[196] While developing her own style and vocal sound, Norwood would credit gospel-jazz singer Kim Burrell, new age artist Enya, and English singer-songwriter Sade as major influences.

[196][198][199][200] Over the course of her acting career, Norwood has noted Lucille Ball, Jenifer Lewis, Gabrielle Union, Niecy Nash, and Kim Fields as being integral to her development as an actress, and the discovery of her strength in comedic roles.

[211] Her work has influenced numerous artists,[212] including Jessie J, JoJo, Bridget Kelly, Olivia, Ariana Grande,[213] Emeli Sandé, Jordin Sparks, Ryan Destiny, Tank, Teyana Taylor, Lil' Mo, Megan Rochell, Keyshia Cole,[214] Jhené Aiko,[215] Raven-Symoné, Eric Bellinger,[216] Chris Brown,[217] Elle Varner, Rihanna,[218] Angel, Normani,[219] and Kehlani[220] while Norwood's vocals have been praised by several of her peers, including Natasha Bedingfield, Missy Elliott, Jennifer Hudson, Syleena Johnson, Gladys Knight, Brian McKnight, Jill Scott, Angie Stone, Tamia,[212] Ty Dolla Sign,[221] Jazmine Sullivan,[222] and Tamar Braxton[223] among others.

Its goal of is to "use performing arts as a catalyst to shape the youth of today into self-confident, disciplined, responsible, and caring individuals capable of making a positive impact in their communities.

[273] On December 30, 2006, while driving on the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles,[274] Norwood struck a Toyota driven by 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj, who later died from her injuries at the L.A. Providence Holy Cross Medical Center.

[280] Aboudihaj's husband also filed a lawsuit against Norwood, suing her for an undisclosed amount of financial relief to cover medical and funeral expenses, as well as legal costs and other damages.