Brandy Norwood pulled back the curtain on a painful part of her past just as her new memoir “Phases” arrived and her Hollywood Walk of Fame star was unveiled on March 30. The singer and actress used the book to revisit a teenage relationship that once played out in public view, but now got a far more personal retelling.
The Grammy winner’s new memoir reached beyond career highs and family history. This time, the “Moesha” alum also revisited her past relationship with Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris, describing how she saw it then and how she understands it now.
Brandy on past relationship with Wanya Morris in new memoir: ‘I genuinely believed it was true love’ — report
Brandy Norwood addressed that chapter in “Phases” with some of the book’s intimate angles regarding her life. As cited in the People report, Brandy wrote, “I genuinely believed it was true love.” She said she dated Morris when she was 16, while he was in his early 20s. The report also noted that he was her “first.” Then, the memoir said she later learned he had cheated. So, the book framed the relationship not as a teen fantasy, but as a formative experience she now viewed very differently.
Moreover, the “Cinderella” star wrote that hindsight changed the meaning of that relationship. She said, “I believe he took advantage.” Then, the memoir grew even more direct. “The silence ends here,” she wrote. She added, “I was not a fast girl with a crush.”
Norwood also said, “I was not a dramatic teenager who couldn’t handle rejection.” Instead, she summed up the age gap with one blunt line: “I was a child. He was an adult.” Meanwhile, People noted that Morris had previously said they did not date until after she came of age.
That passage arrived as “Phases” cast a wider look at the singer’s private and public life. Alongside the relationship chapter, the memoir also revisited her Monica fallout, struggles with bulimia, pressure around image, and the fallout from later crises. However, this section stood out because it reframed a long-discussed relationship in Brandy’s own words. In turn, the memoir gave her version a sharper emotional and personal context.
Originally reported by Santanu Das on Reality Tea.
