Brandy has revealed how her daughter helped her overcome severe depression.
A new interview with People details the star’s struggle with the pressure of fame, a series of broken relationships and a tragic automobile accident.
“I remember laying in bed super depressed,” she recalled. “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.'”
The 41-year-old entertainer said her daughter, Sy’rai, whom she shares with producer Robert Smith, saved her life.
“If Sy’rai wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be either,” Brandy said of the now 18-year-old high school graduate. “The place that I was in, it just felt like I wasn’t going to make it through.”
Her relationship ending with Smith a year after they welcomed Sy’rai in 2002 unveiled the flip side of fame to Brandy, as fans criticized the couple for never marrying.
“It changed people’s perspective of me,” she explained. “But I had to focus on what was important, which was Sy’rai.”
Then in 2006, Brandy rear-ended Awatef Aboudihaj on a Los Angeles highway. The 38-year-old mother of two died from the injuries. Brandy was not criminally charged and does not speak about the accident (out of respect for the family), but the tragedy added to her despair at the time.
But “therapy, meditation, journaling and faith” have helped the “Moesha” star find solace.
And, of course, getting back to music, as Brandy recently released her first album, B7, in eight years.
“I was a little bit lost eight years ago musically, creatively, spiritually,” she explained. “I had to pull myself together, I had to pull it all together and make it all make sense.”
“I’m in a place now where I can be proud of moving in the right direction.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress.
