Brandy Reveals Which of Her Albums She ‘Didn’t Appreciate at First’: ‘I Didn’t Understand What It Was’ (Exclusive)

“I was looking for something different than what I was receiving,” Brandy reflected to PEOPLE at a Stella Rose event in Los Angeles on April 11

Art can take time to fully connect with an audience — or even the artist behind its creation, as Brandy Norwood has learned throughout her own career.

The Grammy winner opened up about how she didn’t necessarily grasp the ideas behind her 2008 album Human upon making and releasing the project. As she prepares for a new era of music, however, the singer and actress has found appreciation for the 15-track body of work.

“I didn’t appreciate the Human album at first. I didn’t understand what it was. I was looking for something different than what I was receiving,” Brandy, 45, tells PEOPLE at a Stella Rosa event previewing the brand’s new Butter Toffee-flavored brandy at The Bike Shed Moto Co. in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 11.

Brandy in Atlanta in February 2024. DEREK WHITE/GETTY

“But when I listened back, I listened to how crisp the vocals were, my topics and the subject matters,” she adds of Human. “It was really speaking to life and to everyone that was listening to it.”

Brandy’s fourth studio album, Human spawned one Billboard Hot 100 chart hit with “Right Here (Departed)” reaching No. 34 — though the record as a whole proved less successful than her previous releases, only reaching No. 15 on the Billboard 200 chart.
In a 2010 interview with The Los Angeles Times, she reflected on the album’s underperformance. “It was lacking my belief in it. It lacked my vision. Pretty much bottom line, if you don’t believe in something it’s not going to go,” she told the outlet.

“Do I believe that Human was as creative as Never Say Never and Full Moon? No, I do not,” added Brandy at the time, referencing her previous two albums. “You definitely want to put something out that’s like that. I felt at the same time I could have had much better songs and a much better set-up.”

Today, Brandy’s heart and soul are fully engaged in her artistry. “Music is definitely now a part of my every day,” she tells PEOPLE, adding that she’s working toward “a new chapter.”

“It can be scary because you don’t know which direction you want to go in, but I always depend and look forward to my passion leading the way,” she explains.