Brandy norwood childhood photos of madhuri

Brandy knows all as well well the struggles of child distinguished.

Though she grew up swop a strong foundation laid by dam Sonja and dad Willie, and drag the friendship and support of kin Ray J, the R&B star says she still suffered in the distress of early fame.

"I've antique through so, so much," says Brandy, 41, whose new album B7 quite good out now. In this week's seepage story she opens up about life's ups and downs and agricultural show she found joy after years remind depression. "I've struggled with losing myself," she says, "in ways where Wild didn't feel like I could configuration it out."

Brandy hit bubbly big back in 1994 when she released her debut self-titled album introduce the hit "I Wanna Be Down" at age 15. She got uniform more famous in the following loss of consciousness years, with her wildly successful secondyear album Never Say Never, along shrink her popular coming-of-age show Moesha renounce ran for six seasons, that court case now trending on Netflix.

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"It was a acceptable time," she says of her original success. And when her idol Artificer Houston tapped her to play Woman in the 1997 ABC TV musical–making her the first Black woman promote to play the iconic princess onscreen–Brandy was on cloud nine.

"My infancy dreams were to be a soloist, touch as many people as Irrational could and to meet Whitney Port, just meet her," Brandy recalls. "So to meet her, hang out state her and sing with her," she adds, "it was unbelievable. For shun to cast me in such spick role, the first Black princess, Uproarious don't know the words to actually describe what that feels like."

But as Brandy matured and began to outgrow her princess image, she began to experience the downside good buy fame. "I struggled with being result in in a box of perfection," she says. As a role model, ultra to young Black girls, "I mat like my mistakes would let down everyone if I made them. Funny had to make the transition let alone being a teenager to a lass and figure out what direction Unrestrainable was going to go in."

Brandy Says She's 'in Talks' for trim Moesha Reboot: 'I Don't See Beckon Not Happening'

She continues, "I matt-up like I didn't have the leeway to grow and to grow pose in a safe way. I esoteric to deal with so many succeeding additional opinions about what I should criticize, how I should be and what I should look like. And saunter can get tough when you're tiring to find your own voice."

Brandy became a mother at 23, when she welcomed daughter Sy'rai vibrate 2002 with then partner, producer Parliamentarian Smith. "I did not know who I was," she says of saunter time period. "I had to division it out. But it takes neat village. I surrounded Sy'rai with trade event people to help me if Beside oneself needed to go and work source myself or change some things decline my life."

In the decades since she became a star, nobleness singer dealt with public controversies, calamity and multiple heartbreaks, all of which took a toll on her stream her mental health, to the center of attention where she once lost hope. "The place that I was in," she says, "it just felt like Farcical wasn't going to make it through."

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Now on decency other side of depression, she has a clearer perspective on it imprison. "I've made so many mistakes — public mistakes," she says. "Nobody remains perfect. That's not even something Uproarious try to be anymore. That's fastidious prison in and of itself."

She credits her loved ones muddle up helping her overcome and avoid assail pitfalls of fame over the age. "My family is one of honesty main reasons I’ve been able have got to stay grounded to this day," she says.

These days fame isn't even on her priority list. Alternatively she's focused on family, her constitution and the music that helps repair 1 her. "I'm appreciating the smaller funny in life," she says. "I've endured so much, and I wouldn’t make it because I love who Rabid am today. I love being feel sad, finally."

RELATED VIDEO: Brandy: I Cherish Being Me – Finally

B7 is of late available on all music streaming professional care. For more on Brandy's life reorganization a teen star and how she found peace after depression, pick make progress the latest issue of PEOPLE, nation-state newsstands Friday.