We finally have an answer to the age-old philosophical question, “If Brandy sings on a New York City subway car, and there are lots of people there to hear it, do any of them care?” Unfortunately for Brandy, the answer is “No.” Well–except maybe one dude:
Brandy posted the video above on her blog in a post titled “#aMomentinNY – Can A Sistah Get One Fan?” Brandy begin the post by talking about her experience relocating to The Big Apple. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay in New York,” Brandy writes. “Ever since moving here in April I’ve made sure to REALLY experience the city.”
She continues, “I’ve hung out in Central Park, Times Square, ridden the bus, and I’ve gotten accustomed to taking the subway too. I feel like a real New Yorker. I’m learning the streets and everything, y’all!”
She then explains the video clip:
Recently, Frank Silent and I took a little subway ride after I’d left the gym. Frank, his camera, and I always equal a good time. I decided to hit the subway and sing my little heart out. You’ve GOTTA check out this video and see why this fun-filled morning left me asking: Can a Sistah get ONE fan?!
After her performance in the clip, Brandy turns to her subway audience and asks, “What y’all thought of that? Y’all thought that was cool?” When her questions are met with a resounding indifference, Brandy seems to freak out just a bit. “Hello? Nobody heard me singing? Nobody cares?”
Towards the end of the clip, after she realizes she can’t call her mother because there’s no cell service on the subway, Brandy asks the man standing next to her, “Sir, what did you think?” The heretofore stoic gentleman immediately opens up and kindly explains, “You’re too much into yourself,” before adding, “This is a warm city ready to embrace you, but you’ve got to go out and engage the people.”
“I tried, but I was scared,” says Brandy.
“Don’t be scared,” the man quickly says. “You’ve got talent, man. Go for it!”
Brandy remains pessimistic. “I can’t engage on the subway!”
The well-traveled subway vet sets her straight. “We’ve seen this a million times. You’ve got to do something different.”
An astonished Brandy asks, “You’ve seen people sing on the subway? Oh my god.”
As she gets off, she asks the man, “But you liked it?” After he gave her an affirmative response, a kind of, but not very happy Brandy says, “OK, good.” She then tells Frank Silent as they are walking, “OK, I’ve got one fan on the subway.”
I’m not even a New Yorker and I have to confess I was a little disinterested. Actually, while Brandy was singing, I think I may have fallen in love with the blonde standing by the doorway:
Is that Mia Wasikowska? Regardless, she has a smokin’ hot indifference!
Thanks to Brandy for giving me the New York City experience of falling in love with a complete stranger (whom I’ve never even heard speak) on the subway! And thanks to Brandy for having the humility to post the clip in the first place.
UPDATE – Brandy just spoke with the NY Post about the video and explained why she did it at length.
Here are a few sample questions and answers from the interview:
What did you think might happen?
I thought maybe someone would go, you know, “You have potential! You should do this!” Or some kind of validation. But nothing. And that was what was so funny about it. People were having full-blown conversations next to me, and walking off the train, and I’m like, “Oh, my lord. I guess I better do a little more practicing.” The guy that did respond said, “We’ve seen this before. This is New York. You have to do something different!” And I said, “Sir, I’m giving it my all,” and he’s, “No, you have to be more over-the-top.” And I’m like, “OK. Well, I don’t know what else I could do!”
Do you really think New Yorkers are rude?
No! I was still in character [when I said that in the video] — I was in my Valley Girl character. My daughter, she’s 13, she goes, “Mom, it’s not that New Yorkers are rude, it’s just that they thought you were crazy! Who does that?”
Any reason why you chose that particular song, “Home”?It’s from “The Wiz,” and everybody knows about my dream to play Dorothy on Broadway. I’d been practicing at home and trying to get it into my voice, so that’s what I chose. And of course, my idol is Whitney [Houston], and she sang it before.
