Brandy’s daughter, Sy’rai Smith, may still be young, but she’s been through a lot of heavy things in her life already.
Being the daughter of a celebrity reportedly came with some major highs and serious lows.
The pair have a good relationship together, but they’ve each faced their own challenges in life.
Why Brandy’s Daughter Sy’rai Was Afraid Of Losing Her
And because of Brandy’s own demons, Sy’rai came frighteningly close to losing her when she was still very young.
In a painfully honest interview that she did with PEOPLE, Brandy opened up about one of the darkest moments in her life.
She was in the depths of a deep depression, and she said that she was a little bit lost musically, creatively, and spiritually.
She knew that she had to try and pull herself together.
She had to make it all make sense.
One day, when she was reportedly feeling like she couldn’t take the pain anymore, dark thoughts crossed her mind, and she thought about taking her own life.
Brandy Speaks Out About Almost Taking Her Life
Brandy confessed that with the place that she was in, she just felt like she wasn’t going to make it through.
She told PEOPLE that she remembered laying in bed super depressed when something just came to her.
She asked herself: “So, you’re just going to go out like this? That’s wack. You have a daughter.”
Brandy decided that if she couldn’t get better for herself, then she needed to do it for her daughter’s sake.
Because she did not want to leave a mark like that on her life.
She knew that it would taint her.
Brandy Reveals How Her Daughter Saved Her Life
It was that realization that reportedly helped save her.
In her interview, she admitted that if Sy’rai wasn’t in her life, then she wouldn’t still be around.
According to the outlet, one of the reasons that Brandy was in such a dark hole back then was because of a broken heart from her failed relationships.
But she was also going through something else that was super heavy.
Brandy has had to deal with real tragedy in her life.
Brandy’s Tragic Car Accident
She went through an experience that would go on to haunt her for years to come.
In 2006, Brandy was involved in an accident that had life-changing consequences.
NBC News reported that while driving on a Los Angeles freeway, Brandy’s car crashed into the vehicle in front of her, leading to the other driver being hospitalized.
The woman in the other car, Awatef Aboudihaj, never recovered from her injuries and sadly passed away days later.
According to TMZ, law enforcement officials claimed that Brandy, who was 27 years old at the time, hadn’t noticed that the vehicles ahead of her had slowed down.
Attorneys representing Awatef’s family made the allegation that Brandy had been driving recklessly.
For years following the incident, Brandy faced a number of lawsuits from Awatef’s parents, her husband, her children, and two other drivers involved in the crash.
She supposedly settled all of these lawsuits out of court.
An Us Weekly report revealed that Brandy was never charged due to insufficient evidence.
Even so, she admitted that the accident changed her life forever.
It reportedly was one of the main reasons why she found herself unable to get out of bed years later.
Brandy Reveals Daughter Sy’rai Is Her Inspiration
While speaking to PEOPLE, Brandy revealed that her daughter felt good to know that she was her mom’s inspiration in life.
Brandy used to tell her that if it wasn’t for her, she wouldn’t know where she would be in life.
Sy’rai was the reason that she was smiling and the reason that she was moving.
Her daughter would remind her that she also needed to do those things for herself, though.
The same way that she supported her mother, Sy’rai has said that Brandy’s always been there for her too, throughout her most difficult moments.
Brandy’s Daughter’s Health Issues
But she has also admitted that there was a time when she thought that Brandy was ashamed of the way that she looked.
During an appearance on The Real daytime talk show in 2021, Sy’rai shared some of her insecurities and fears, especially when it came to her body.
At that time, she’d lost a lot of weight thanks to a conscious decision to start taking better care of herself.
Sy’rai explained that when she was heavier, she had a lot of health issues.
So, she changed her mindset and her mentality.
She reportedly knew that being in the body she was in, her life wasn’t going to be as long as it could be.
She explained that she had so many problems going on with her health.
She said: “I wouldn’t be able to live in that body if I wanted to fulfill anything going forward in my life.”
Sy’rai Smith’s Weight Loss Journey
At first, Sy’rai just focused on trying to live a healthier lifestyle.
But then, she found that her choice also led to a dramatic weight loss, too.
The journey wasn’t easy, though, and there were still times when the aspiring singer got down on herself.
She talked about how she was growing up in a time when a lot of young women compared themselves to other women on social media, and she said that she was a victim of that as well.
Sy’ Rai Speaks Out About Insecurities
Sy’rai shared that she would get jealous and insecure when she looked at other women.
But she’d remind herself that her body had been through a lot.
The scars and stretch marks that she had were for a purpose, and they all had a reason.
When talking about being in the limelight, she admitted that since there were always eyes on her, she felt pressure to try to lose weight quickly and to live up to unrealistic expectations.
The talk show hosts asked her if it was harder for her being the daughter of a famous star.
Sy’rai explained that seeing her mom dress a certain way or wear certain things when she was on red carpets or on set was kind of difficult.
She found herself asking questions like: “Why am I not that way? Why am I not that size? Why was I made the way I was made?”
Then, in a heartbreaking confession, she said that sometimes, she would feel a little sad or she would feel like her mother was embarrassed of her.
But she quickly admitted that those thoughts were just insecurities in her own head.
Brandy’s Daughter Confirms Family’s Support
Sy’rai clarified that in reality, Brandy was never like that.
She was her biggest cheerleader.
Her mom supported her whether she wanted to lose a lot of weight or not.
She always told her that she was beautiful.
Getting into where her self-doubt came from, Sy’rai claimed that she just always kind of felt like the odd one out.
Her whole family was in the spotlight, and she thought that she was just an outcast.
But eventually, she realized that it was never like that.
They still loved her, whether she was one weight or another.
Brandy Praises Daughter Sy’rai
Brandy is not shy when it comes to singing praises about her daughter.
In an interview with PEOPLE, she gushed that their personalities were the same.
She said that they shared so much of the same likes, such as their love of music.
She went on to say: “My favorite thing about motherhood is seeing myself in my daughter and seeing each other in each other.”
The R&B singer added that she loved seeing her daughter grow into her own artist.
In 2020, when Brandy released B7, her seventh studio album, Sy’rai featured on a song titled High Heels.
A couple of years later, she dropped her first solo single, On My Own.
Her mother couldn’t resist showing some love by sharing an Instagram post of the track’s cover and writing- “My baby Everywhere! I love you and I’m so proud of you.”
Who Is Brandy’s Baby Father?
Sy’rai’s father is producer Robert Smith.
He and her mom had a brief relationship at the turn of the century, and they welcomed their baby girl in 2002.
PEOPLE reported that though their romance didn’t work out, they were able to find a way to co-parent together.
While speaking to VIBE in 2008, Robert shared that while the relationship didn’t last, the bottom line was that there was a friendship between them.
He claimed that it was impossible to be mad at somebody who’d given him a gift like his daughter.
Robert ended up marrying singer Xochitl Jaques-Smith, and the couple went on to give Sy’rai 5 half-siblings.
