For nearly three decades, Brandy has been one of the most respected and hard-working entertainers in pop culture. At 15, she was dominating the music charts with her self-titled album and hits like "Baby" and "I Wanna Be Down." At 18, she slipped into the glass slipper and took on the title role of Cinderella in the now beloved TV version of the fairy tale, alongside Whitney Houston, Bernadette Peters and Paul Montalban. After six albums, three headlining tours, multiple roles and a Broadway run, Brandi returns to the silver screen in ABC's Queens .
The musical, which premiered on October 19, tells the story of the four members of the popular (fictional) hip-hop girl group of the '90s, The Nasty B*tches. On the show, Naomi (played by Brandi), Brianna (played by Eve), Jill (played by Naturi Norton) and Valeria (played by Nadine Velazquez) are all in their 40s. ) decided to reunite the band four days before performing at the BET Awards. After such a long time apart, the group's members find themselves in different stages of life, navigating motherhood, friendships and relationships.
However, when it comes to Brandi's real-life relationship status, she's openly stated that she's not interested in a relationship and doesn't want to get married. Speaking about it on The Real in 2016, the "Borderline" singer revealed she was "content" being alone. "I've never spent so much time on myself. I haven't dated in a year. I just love who I am," she said. "I just feel like being on my own, taking care of my daughter, doing my thing. I'm just concerned about my career right now." When asked if she was interested in getting married in the future, Brandi responded: "I know I don’t want to go that route.”
In 2010, amid speculation that Brandi was dating musician Flo Rida, Brandi published a blog post titled "I'm Afraid of Giving Up My Heart," focusing on dating in the public eye. "I'm very cautious about who I date because I haven't really dated in five years, so I'm very, very picky about it because I want to make sure it's real," she wrote. "Dating is hard, period, whether in the industry or not. But it's just kind of hard because everyone's doing your thing. Everyone wants to know what's up and the photos and the paparazzi, all this stuff is crazy." She described her ideal man at the time as "a good guy" who had "everything" and believed in family. "I don't know where to find a good man," she added. "I just think they're around and I think you have to be good and at some point you're going to attract them. ... Let the love find you."
As she waits for love to find her and honors her role on Queens , here's everything we know about Brandi's dating history.
2001-2002: Robert "Big Bert" Smith
Brandy first dated record producer Robert "Big Bert" Smith in 2001. In 2002, the couple revealed they had quietly married the previous summer. "I fell in love with a very warm, gentle, understanding and dedicated person," Brandi told People magazine in 2002. "We quietly got married this summer. It's a new experience, a new day for me - I couldn't be happier!" In 2004, it was revealed that the couple were allegedly not actually married at the time, but Pretending to be married in public.
In June 2002, the couple revealed they had a daughter: Sy'rai Smith. Brandi's pregnancy was documented in the reality television show "Brandi: The Express," which aired on MTV that same year. In June 2003, the couple announced their separation, with a source telling People magazine, "They will remain friends and raise their daughter together."
Sy'rai, now 19, has her own Instagram and often appears on her mother's page. Brandi recently posted a photo of her daughter with the caption, "My everything is everything."
2004-2005: Quentin Richardson
In July 2004, Brandi revealed that she was engaged to basketball star Quentin Richardson. According to People magazine , Richardson proposed to Brandi in front of friends and family at Los Angeles' Century Club, wearing an 11-carat and a half diamond ring "worth $1 million." However, the couple eventually parted ways.
2012-2014: Ruian Publishing House
Brandy's last known collaborator was music executive Ryan Press. The couple were first confirmed to be dating at a New Year's Eve party in Las Vegas in 2011 and got engaged in December 2012. In 2013, she revealed she had no idea Press was planning to propose, calling her then-fiancé's decision "a spontaneous thing" that he "just felt" in his heart.
In August 2014, a rep for Brandy confirmed to People magazine that she had "ended her engagement" with Press. According to sources, it was a "mutual decision" between the two. "They are both taking a step back on relationship issues," the source said. "They are definitely friends and will continue to be friends."
