Brandy reveals daughter saved her from decades-long depression battle

Brandy is once again opening up about her decades-long battle with depression. In a new cover-story interview with People, the 41-year-old gets frank about her mental health, and reveals that if it weren’t for her daughter Sy’rai, she doesn’t know that she would have survived."I remember laying in bed super depressed," she tells the publication. "I [told] myself, 'So, you're just going to go out like this? That's wack. You have a daughter. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for her because this is not the way to leave a mark in her life.'"Pulling herself out of that darkness wasn’t easy, especially when people were used to seeing her a certain way. As the story reminds fans, Brandy made headlines after being involved in a 2006 car accident that took the life of a 38-year-old woman. (Brandy was never charged criminally and she settled out of court with the woman’s family). In 2002 she also faced public scrutiny when she and her then-partner, producer Robert Smith, revealed to the world that despite what they said during her pregnancy on their reality show, Brandy: Special Delivery, they were never married.[video_embed id='-1']RELATED: Sophie Turner gets real with Dr. Phil about her depression[/video_embed]“It changed people's perspective of me, but I had to focus on what was important, which was Sy'rai,” she says. “If Sy'rai wasn’t here, I wouldn't be either," she adds of her now 18-year-old daughter, who was a 2020 high school graduate. "The place that I was in, it just felt like I wasn't going to make it through."So what has Brandy, a.k.a. the child star of Moesha, the first Black Cinderella, and “The Boy is Mine” Grammy winner been up to these past few years, other than rocking it as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway? According to the article she’s been reconnecting with herself and reclaiming her inspiration. "I was a little bit lost eight years ago musically, creatively, spiritually," she adds. "I had to pull myself together, I had to pull it all together and make it all make sense." The interview is one of the latest that Brandy has given in conjunction with the release of her new emotionally charged album B7, her first release in nearly eight years. The music is inspired by her struggles and her battle with depression, and she hopes the honesty in it will help her fans. Still, she reveals that her candid new music, which includes the first single “Borderline” and the final song, “Bye Bipolar,” gave her pause. She adds that she has not been diagnosed with bipolar disorder despite what the former song title may suggest, and she reveals that she actually had second thoughts about being so honest on the album.

 

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#B7 • This is a beautiful moment that I share with each and every one of you ? Special thank you to my amazing team @eone_music @sonjanorwood @gregthompson12 @salxo @thisisryanramsey ?@musicenthusiast? To the incredible songwriters, producers and engineers @theycallmecamper @kaydence @victoriamonet @antoniodixonmusic @coryrooney @yxshua @brandonncaddell and my angel @bigshiz ?? @twmo__ x @knice.on.the.sonics x @sweaterandy ?? My creative geniuses @mrdblanks @frankgatson .. Love y’all so much ?? much love to @4evervaughn ♥️ @4everbrandy101 x @4everteambrandy x @brandylegion ...... GLAM- @kimblehaircare x @kendragarvey x @hairdesignsla x @ashleyseanthomas x @makeupartistgaby ... none of this would not have been possible without all of you. God Bless y’all ♥️ thank you to all the stars that make me #SHINE @syraismith you are the ultimate reason ♥️ I love you

A post shared by 4 e v e r b r a n d y (@brandy) on Aug 10, 2020 at 12:39pm PDT

“I was thinking, 'Did I go too deep? Did I go too far in what I was singing about?' But I didn't dwell on those thoughts," she says. "I'm in a place now where I can be proud of moving in the right direction."Here’s hoping Brandy continues to stay happy and healthy in 2020 and beyond.[video_embed id='2011259']BEFORE YOU GO: Former Hollywood stylist ‘outs’ celebrities for being the worst to work with[/video_embed]