Brandy & Monica Say They’ve ‘Taken Control’ of the Divisive Narrative Started After ‘The Boy Is Mine’

Brandy and Monica appeared connected the screen of Essence Wednesday (Oct. 1) to sermon their upcoming co-headlining The Boy Is Mine Tour — and however the opus that started it each successful 1998 has brought them person unneurotic implicit the years aft being torn apart.

“I deliberation that adjacent though the lyrical contented and immoderate of what started to play retired created much part than it did togetherness, we’ve taken power of that, and we’re making what the bequest of this opus would beryllium wholly antithetic for the adjacent generation. And that’s what I’m astir arrogant of, erstwhile I look astatine what is happening present with ‘The Boy Is Mine,'” Monica tells the publication.

While their timeless duet astir warring implicit a lad spent 13 weeks astatine No. 1 connected the Billboard Hot 100 and earned some women a Grammy for champion R&B show by a duo oregon radical with vocal, the occurrence of the grounds couldn’t ever sweeten the unsavory parts of Brandy and Monica’s relationship. The 2 allegedly got into an altercation during rehearsal for their show astatine the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, which caused a years-long rift. When they went head-to-head for a Verzuz battle successful 2020, they openly discussed their feud, and Brandy revealed successful a aboriginal interrogation connected Ebro In The Morning that she had apologized to Monica down the scenes.

When Ariana Grande reimagined “The Boy Is Mine” connected her 2024 medium Eternal Sunshine — and tapped Brandy and Monica for the authoritative remix that scored a Grammy motion for champion popular duo/group show — Monica adds, “it was that subtle reminder for america of however peculiar that infinitesimal was,” adds Monica. “And what I emotion truthful overmuch astir it was that we were young, surviving successful the infinitesimal and creating. We were creating without critics. We were creating without thing extracurricular of ourselves. And that was the portion that I deliberation made it truthful large and made it truthful timeless.”

“I spot it arsenic truthful overmuch bigger than conscionable a deed record. At the time, it was 2 young women coming together, bringing our voices and our stories into 1 infinitesimal — and the satellite connected with it successful a mode we couldn’t person imagined. To spot however that opus connected with radical each implicit the satellite — and inactive does — is specified a blessing,” says Brandy. “For me, it represented sisterhood and the powerfulness of collaboration. Now, each these years later, it feels similar a landmark successful R&B history, but besides a reminder of however acold we’ve travel arsenic women and arsenic artists. It’s humbling to cognize that a opus tin basal the trial of clip similar that, and it inspires maine to support creating euphony that resonates crossed generations.”

In a mates of weeks, Brandy and Monica volition bring “The Boy Is Mine” to U.S. arenas for The Boy Is Mine Tour, which kicks disconnected connected Oct. 16 astatine Cincinnati’s Heritage Bank Center successful Cincinnati and goes done large cities including Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York earlier ...