From The Vault is back and this week journeys to a jam poured out in 1995.
Brandy‘s Billboard blazer ‘Sittin’ Up In My Room’ is our pick.
Lifted from the ‘Waiting To Exhale’ movie soundtrack, the single was written and produced by Babyface and was one of five issued from the project alongside the likes of Mary J. Blige’s ‘Not Gon’ Cry’ and Whitney Houston’s ‘Shoop.’ All of which dominated the charts.
Unlike the aforementioned, who were well established at the time, B-Rocka’s success with her song (which included a #2 peak on the Hot 100) was especially notable given that she was still in her debut cycle.
Aged just 16 at the time, she had garnered gargantuan momentum from top 10 singles such as ‘Baby,’ ‘I Wanna Be Down,’ and ‘Brokenhearted’ – with all having arrived just months before.
A testament to the eventual icon’s almost immediate popularity, she was not only recruited to appear alongside music’s biggest hitters – but more than held her own with a cut that’s gone on to become a bonafide R&B classic.
One of the most resonating components of ‘Sittin” was its vibrant video.
Despite ‘Waiting’s markedly adult themes, the Hype Williams clip didn’t shy away from Brandy’s youth.
Instead, it took a semi-literal approach to the song’s title, depicting the songbird nested in her room longing for her love, while also learning from the antics of the film’s protagonists who she watched on a screen.
And though she’s most renown for her vocals, the visual showcased B’s gravitas as a performer too – with its slickly executed choreography and sass aplenty. Ahh the 90s, a time when artists – almost by default – actually went above and beyond to do it all.
The demands of newcomers today may have sadly pivoted in the direction of “less is more,” but we’ll forever give a nostalgic nod to the likes of Brandy. For, even at a young age, she showed and proved that true and enduring magic comes from meeting the moment (see: the opportunity and the song) and going that extra mile with it (see: confidence, conviction, and performance).
Acts like Brandy are a rare breed; as such almost 24 years on from the release of ‘Sittin”, we remain amped for every new song, album, and era.
Here’s hoping that, after a lengthy spell away from the musical spotlight, her next chapter arrives imminently.
