The album is also a testament to BrandyвЂ™s growth as a vocalist.

Never Say Never doesnвЂ™t only stand out for its more adult themes, though. Although vying for a manвЂ™s attention is a fruitless endeavor, Brandy and Monica make it a groovy, sonically-pleasing competition of their voices. вЂњ The Boy is Mine,вЂќ which features R&B star and BrandyвЂ™s friend-turned-rival-turned-friend Monica, is the ultimate battle royale of budding R&B divas. Contrary to the songвЂ™s title, BrandyвЂ™s just вЂњtryna be me, doing what I gotta do.вЂќ But the song, of course, isnвЂ™t the only notable collaboration on the album. With Bad Boys star Mase, Brandy apprises listeners on how fame has influenced how sheвЂ™s perceived by those around her. Have you ever loved somebody/So much it makes you cry.Д®lsewhere on the album, Brandy tackles the complexities of becoming on вЂњ Top of the WorldвЂќ at such a young age, a refrain from the albumвЂ™s love songs. How straightforward can one be about their love for someone than the highly relatable chorus on вЂњHave You Ever?вЂќ Ballads like вЂњ TruthfullyвЂќ and вЂњ Put That on EverythingвЂќ and the chart-topping вЂњ Have You Ever?вЂќ toward the end of the album juxtapose the recordвЂ™s earlier songs by plainly depicting a young adult who is deeply in love, regardless of what anyone else thinks. The first half of the album includes songs like вЂњ Learn the Hard WayвЂќ and вЂњ Almost DoesnвЂ™t CountвЂќ that see the singer venting about not receiving the respect she deserves in a relationship (вЂњCanвЂ™t keep on tryinвЂ™ if youвЂ™re looking for more/Than all that I could give you,вЂќ she sings on the chorus of the latter). The teenage naivetГ© that was pervasive on her debut album seamlessly evolved into themes of intense yet often unrequited love on Never Say Never, which was helped by the late songwriter LaShawn Daniels. She was able to sing about more mature topics, but on her terms. That theme wasnвЂ™t at all the fault of any of the aforementioned artists but the fault of a society, including the adults surrounding those artists at the time, that leaves Black teens, especially Black girls, unprotected and forcing them to grow up before they should.ДЄlthough Brandy escaped that trend, Never Say Never proved that she was more than just a teen star.

Usher was just three months shy of his 16th birthday when he sang about the same thing on вЂњ Can U Get Wit ItвЂќ (вЂњCan you get with it, itвЂ™s like that/ItвЂ™s only a sexual thingвЂќ) and Aaliyah was 15 when her debut album Age AinвЂ™t Nothin but a Number dropped. Monica was only 14 when she sang about becoming intimate with a partner for the first time (вЂњI want to/ We ought to be sure/But if we canвЂ™t prove our love/Like this and like that, IвЂ™m gonna move alongвЂќ) on вЂњ Like This and Like ThatвЂќ. Black teen musicians in the 90вЂ™s were often hypersexualized. The show, which premiered in 1996, depicted Mitchell as a California teenager who juggled often complicated relationships with her parents, friends and romantic interests.Д«randyвЂ™s debut album and her role in Moesha set the tone for her to have a conservative image, which made Brandy an outlier among her contemporaries like Monica, Usher and Aaliyah, who were also teens at the time but their music was catered to a more mature audience. Moesha Mitchell, the beloved protagonist of Moesha, was the sentient form of BrandyвЂ™s debut album. The album, which dropped when Brandy was only 15, embraced age-appropriate themes such as having a teenage crush (вЂњI Wanna Be DownвЂќ), appreciating a best friendвЂ™s support (вЂњBest Friend,вЂќ who, in her case, was her brother) and thanking her family and influences for her success (вЂњI DedicateвЂќ- parts 1, 2 and 3). Brandy was approaching superstardom.Д«ut, prior to the release of Never Say Never, public perception of Brandy as solely a teen sensation stunted that development.Д«randy graced the ears of future fans with the release of her eponymous debut album in 1994. So, the release of Never Say Never, her second album, was just the icing on the cake. Brandy was handpicked by Whitney Houston to play the role. The third season of her hit UPN show Moesha ended the month before and nearly a year before that, she made her film debut in Rodgers & HammersteinвЂ™s Cinderella, becoming the first Black actress to portray Cinderella. By the time Never Say Never was released in June of 1998, Brandy was at the height of her career.

Brandy have you ever loved somebody