Brandy’s Dating History: Inside the R&B Superstar's Past Relationships and Tumultuous Splits
Brandy’s Dating History: Inside the R&B Superstar's Past Relationships and Tumultuous Splits
Jordana ComiterWed, April 1, 2026 at 7:32 PM UTC
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Wanya Morris and Brandy Norwood in April 1997 in Miami Beach, Florida; Quentin Richardson and Brandy Norwood on Feb. 18, 2005, in Denver.Credit: Raymond Boyd/Getty; Ray Tamarra/Getty -
Brandy Norwood has dated Wanya Morris, Robert Smith, Quentin Richardson and Ryan Press
The R&B singer shares a daughter with Smith and called off engagements to both Richardson and Press
In her new memoir, Phases, she opened up about feeling as though her ex-boyfriend, Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris, "took advantage" of her when she was 16
Brandy Norwood is opening up about her previous relationships.
The R&B superstar has kept her personal life mostly private, but famously dated producer Robert Smith, ex-NBA star Quentin Richardson and music executive Ryan Press. She shares a daughter with Smith and was previously engaged to Richardson and Press.
In her new memoir, Phases, Brandy shares candid revelations about her relationship with Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris, who she dated when she was 16. (Morris has previously stated they did not begin dating until after the singer came of age.)
The Moesha alum revealed in Phases that he was her "first," but soon caught him cheating. The singer wrote in the memoir that, in hindsight, she believes Morris "took advantage."
"The silence ends here," she wrote. "I was not a fast girl with a crush. I was not a dramatic teenager who couldn’t handle rejection. I was not an unstable obsessive fan. I was a child. He was an adult. And it’s time the world understood the difference."
Representatives for Morris did not immediately return PEOPLE's request for comment.
On March 19, Brandy also addressed a recent podcast conversation between Moses "Shyne" Barrow and Mase, in which the rappers joked about having had intimate relationships with the singer. She denied a relationship with Shyne in an Instagram post, writing, "I'm not sure why an untrue narrative about a scope of what was a friendship more than 20 years ago is being reshaped during his current media interviews."
Here's a look back at Brandy's relationships.
Wanya Morris
Wanya Morris and Brandy Norwood.Credit: Globe Photos/ZUMAPRESS.com via Alamy
One of Brandy's first public romances came when she was allegedly 16 and dated Morris, who has previously said they didn't have a relationship until she was of age.
The pair collaborated on the 1994 hit song "Brokenhearted," and Brandy wrote in her memoir that their friendship quickly turned romantic.
She claimed in her memoir that Morris took "advantage" of her, writing that she was "in over my head" when things turned romantic with Morris.
"Wanya and I understood, with diamond-cut clarity that public knowledge of our relationship would ignite scandal, potentially threatening everything we'd both worked for, so he and I opted for elaborate fiction: we would pretend patience and claim we were waiting until my eighteenth birthday before pursuing any romantic connection," Brandy wrote.
The R&B star claimed that the two went their separate ways after she discovered — and he allegedly admitted — that he had been cheating on her.
Robert Smith
Robert Smith and Brandy Norwood during the 2002 NBA Playoffs on May 14, 2002, in Los Angeles.Credit: Catherine Steenkeste/NBAE via Getty
Brandy dated Smith, a producer known as Big Bert, in the early 2000s. In early 2002 — a few months before welcoming their daughter, Sy'rai Smith, that June — she announced that the pair had gotten married in the summer of 2001, per Rolling Stone.
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The aftermath of their 2003 split was rather tumultuous, as Smith claimed that the two were never married. He claimed that they pretended to have wed to protect their image after Brandy became pregnant with their daughter.
Brandy then issued a statement via her publicist, saying that she was "hurt and shocked" by Smith's revelations.
The "Missing You" singer said that she and Smith didn't have a legally recognized marriage, but had a "spiritual union and a true commitment to each other."
Her statement continued, "We still share a common bond through our daughter, Sy’rai, (though) he is not thinking about her, me, or what we had together."
Brandy opened up further about the situation in her memoir, explaining why she felt pressure to maintain her image.
"Let’s just tell people we’re married," the Grammy winner recalled telling him, going on to reflect on the backlash that followed and damaged her career.
"I couldn’t have known that this single deception would eventually alter the trajectory of my life," she continued.
Quentin Richardson
Quentin Richardson and Brandy Norwood during the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend on Feb. 18, 2005, in Denver.Credit: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty
Following Brandy's split from Smith, the singer started dating former NBA star Richardson.
They attended several events and red carpets together through the mid-2000s, including the 4th Annual BET Awards in June 2004.
Brandy and the ex-L.A. Clippers player got engaged that July but eventually called it quits.
Ryan Press
Ryan Press and Brandy Norwood attend Stevie Wonder's New Years Eve performance on Dec. 31, 2011, in Las Vegas.Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty
Brandy and Press, a music executive, went public with their relationship on New Year's Eve in 2011, and were engaged by late 2012.
The pair called off their engagement in April 2014, with a rep for Brandy telling PEOPLE that it was a "mutual decision."
"They’re both taking a step back regarding their relationship," the rep said. "They’re definitely friends and will continue to be friends. There’s nothing malicious or negative about [their split]."
The former couple appear to still be friends, as they posed together on March 30, 2026, during the ceremony honoring Brandy with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in California.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
