Brandys latest album, Christmas With Brandy, arrived just in time for the holiday season on Nov. 10. Featuring soulful takes on holiday classics –
“Jingle Bells,” “Deck the Halls” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” – and a teamup with her 21-year-old daughter, Sy’Rai, the Moesha star sat down with Billboard News to talk about the latest addition to her discography.
“I love Christmas, and I love Christmas carols and so I can’t believe it’s my first Christmas album,” she tells Gail Mitchell, Billboards executive director, R&B/hip-hop. “I had a great team of people to work with me, producers … one of the writers is Sebastian Cole, Tatiana Clark, India Carney. They helped me put my own spin on the classics and help me put together some originals that I’m really proud of.”
The albums contains 12 tracks, but according to Brandy, there’s some material that didn’t make the cut that could lend well to another project. “There will be songs left on the table for sure that can be part of a regular album that doesn’t necessarily have to be a Christmas album,” she explains.
Brandy’s daughter Sy’Rai makes a cameo on the record in “Christmas Gift,” a song that the 44-year-old feels proud of, as her daughter wants to follow in her footsteps.
“I love the melody and I just thought our voices would sound great together,” she gushes. “And I just love working with her. I love seeing her blossom into this beautiful flower, this beautiful artist and just someone that really loves music.”
