Brandy and Monica reunite for ‘The Boy Is Mine' tour, 27 years later

Los Angeles Times

4 days ago

The once-clashing R&B songstresses Brandy and Monica are back — together.
The titans announced their first-ever co-headlining tour, 'The Boy Is Mine,' on Tuesday, paying homage to their 1998 hit of the same name. Kelly Rowland, Muni Long and recent 'American Idol' winner Jamal Roberts are scheduled to appear as special guests along the road.
'This really is a full-circle moment,' Brandy said in a statement to Variety. 'Monica and I coming together again isn't just about the music — it's about honoring where we came from and how far we've both come. 'The Boy Is Mine' was a defining chapter in R&B, and to share the stage all these years later is bigger than a reunion — it's a celebration of growth, sisterhood, and the love our fans have given us from day one.'
She added that she recognized the love 'The Boy Is Mine' still received, saying that the song 'means everything to me.'
Upon its release, the song spent 13 weeks at No. 1. That was 27 years ago, and though the pair have been on 'different journeys' since, they've come back together to give 'the people what they've been asking for.'
'God's timing perfectly aligned us,' Brandy said.
Presale for the tour begins on June 26, with general tickets going on sale on June 27. The run currently includes one Los Angeles-area show on Nov. 9 at the Kia Forum.
Brandy and Monica had a widely publicized fallout in 1998. Monica is said to have punched Brandy in the face just before they took the stage at that year's MTV Video Music Awards to perform their hit single.
The duo was seen as a monumental combination of '90s talent, with both Brandy and Monica being lauded for their debut records. Brandy had already achieved RIAA platinum status with her eponymous album released in 1994 when she was just 15. 'The Boy Is Mine' was an instant hit when it was released four years later, but the VMAs incident seemed to spawn acrimony.
Though both would remain in the music industry, Brandy would also pursue an acting career. The 'Vocal Bible' took off following her role as the first African American actor to play Cinderella in 1997. More recently, she starred as a rapper in the ABC drama series 'Queens' in 2021.
Monica's 1995 debut, 'Miss Thang,' went platinum when she was 14, but the singer largely remained out of the spotlight following the release of 'Code Red' in 2015. She teased a pivot into the country music genre in 2022 with 'Open Roads,' which she says was produced entirely by 10-time Grammy winner Brandi Carlile. Though she confirmed its completion in 2023, it has yet to be released.
After the kerfuffle in 1998, it wouldn't be until 2012 that the two collaborated again on 'It All Belongs to Me' and 11 years more before they worked on a remix of 'The Boy Is Mine' for Ariana Grande. In 2021, Brandy and Monica appeared on 'Verzuz,' a popular webcast series made by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland where two artists pit their best hits against each other.
The affair went down smoothly until about 30 minutes in, when Monica spoke of how she had come a long way from 'kicking in doors' and 'smacking chicks,' a (seemingly autobiographical) line from her hit song 'So Gone.'
'You sure was,' Brandy replied. 'I was one of the ones.'
But Monica refuted the quip, claiming, 'People think I'm abusive. That's not what happened.'
After a little back and forth, Brandy conceded, 'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that … I didn't mean no shade by that.'
'It was a misunderstanding,' Monica replied before moving on, as both singers seemed to have done with the announcement of the upcoming tour.