Brandy talks about her nervous breakdown, new album, new husband and motherhood

Jet, April 15, 2002

"When I got home I started to feel very nauseous, I felt very weak. I started to hallucinate and see strange things. I was home alone in the beginning and then my mom came home." She felt the problem went on for two days and then her worried parents took her to the hospital.

Her tearful mother told Oprah that they actually took her to the hospital the same day because her behavior was so out of character.

"Everything anybody said was so funny to her," her mother (and manager) Sonja Norwood said. "Because she is an actress, we didn't know if it was for real."

After it persisted, they rushed her to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she stayed for two days.

Oprah asked Brandy: "This was an emotional, physical and spiritual breakdown?" Brandy nodded and responded, "Yes."

But now her life is 100 percent different. The braids are gone, replaced by a more mature hairstyle. And her style of dress says adult, not teen. She also has embraced vegetarianism, saying she believes meat is bad for the digestive system and that she plans to live to be 100.

She calls Full Moon her version of Janet Jackson's Control album where she makes a declaration of independence.

And make no mistake, it is HER album. "I was involved from A-Z," she said. "Every song on the album was inspired by my life. I sat down with all the writers and told them what I wanted to talk about, how I wanted to approach the album and what sound I wanted. Everybody was open to my suggestions. And I couldn't have done it without the help of the producers, my managers. My brother Ray J was involved, my husband was involved. I just had a great team."

And she plans to hit the road in the fall with a national and, possibly, international tour.

Brandy said she is excited and ready to share the mature, spiritual new person that she is with the fans who have followed her for eight years as well as new ones ready for something new.