Get ready to meet Brandy Norwood all over again in 2016. The '90s superstar stars in the new BET comedy series, "Zoe Ever After" and plans to release her seventh studio album.
"Zoe Ever After" premieres tonight and stars Norwood as newly single mother, Zoe Moon, who is trying to launch her own cosmetics business. The 36-year-old actress returns to her sitcom roots, headlining her first series since the popular UPN show, "Moesha," which ran from 1996 to 2001.
"It's always been a dream of mine to have another sitcom. I love television," Norwood told EBONY. "It's a comedy and it's fun. I had a really good time building it."
Over the past five years, Norwood has built up her TV resume with recurring roles on "90210" and "Drop Dead Diva" and most recently she starred on BET's "The Game." She also competed on the 11th season of "Dancing with the Stars" and starred opposite her brother, Ray J, on their VH1 reality show, "Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business."
Learn more about the "Zoe Ever After" leading lady and her career resurgence.
Norwood's Interest in Makeup Artistry Inspired Zoe
Norwood's renewed drive to act on television following her role "The Game" led her to meet with producer Debra Martin Chase ("The Princess Diaries," "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants").
"She asked me, 'If you were not singing or acting, what would you want to do?'" the actress told EBONY about her meeting with Chase. "I told her that I would be a makeup artist, and that's how Zoe was born. Zoe has her own cosmetics line, she's raising a son and co-parenting with her ex-husband who she was with for 20 years. She's starting this dream, she's pushing forward and finding her own voice."
"Zoe Ever After," a half-hour comedy, also stars Dorian Missick as Zoe's ex-husband and famous boxer, Gemini Moon; Jaylon Gordon plays her 8-year-old son, Xavier; Tory Devon Smith is Zoe's fashion-forward assistant, Valenté; Haneefah Wood plays Zoe's best friend and publicist, Pearl; and Ignacio Serricchio is the sexy contractor, Miguel.
Sang on a New York City Subway... And No One Recognized Her
After a sweaty workout, Norwood pulled up her hoodie, slid on her sunglasses and boarded the subway. She started singing "Home" from the musical "The Wiz" while her friend recorded her, but no one on the train paid her any notice. One man standing nearby did give her some friendly advice:
"He said I gotta be over the top," she told the camera.
Made Her Broadway Debut in "Chicago"
Norwood conquered the stage in April 2015 when she joined the Broadway cast of "Chicago." She played the lead role of Roxie Hart, a life-changing experience for her, and one she'll do again this spring in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in a limited one-week engagement from April 26 to May 1.
"There was a period where I didn't believe in myself and I changed my mind about my life and I decided to put in the work with myself and 'Chicago' presented itself and I stepped on that stage my entire life changed," she told "Today" in July.
Served as a Judge on First Season of "America's Got Talent"
Norwood served on the first judges' panel for "America's Got Talent" alongside David Hasselhoff and Piers Morgan, but chose to exit after one season following a wrongful death lawsuit brought against her due to her involvement in a fatal car collision in December 2006. Sharon Osbourne replaced her on the panel.
Brother Ray J Didn't Tell Her About His Engagement
The day before going on "Wendy Williams," Norwood called her brother, Ray J, to confirm that he had really proposed to his girlfriend, Princess Love.
"They are really engaged," she told Williams in December, "And I told him I was coming here and I didn't know! Like, I'm really mad about that. How do you not tell your sister that you're engaged."