It’s been a banner year for Brandy. She received the Recording Academy and Black Music Collective’s Black Music Icon Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her memoir, PHASES, debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list. She recorded the iconic theme song for the A Different World sequel. And she’s celebrating daughter Sy’Rai’s latest music drop. And now, she’s about to take her music back to Africa.
The singer known as “The Vocal Bible” is heading to Lagos, Nigeria, to headline Flytime’s House of R&B. On December 20, the “I Wanna Be Down” singer will appear at the Eko Convention Centre, opening six nights of Flytime events. For fans whose first crushes and heartbreaks came with a Brandy soundtrack, this is the invitation to sing those feelings out loud on African soul.
Founded in 2004 by entertainment entrepreneur Cecil Hammond, Flytime has grown from its “Rhythm Unplugged” concert series into a major force in Nigeria’s live entertainment scene. Its stages have welcomed Wizkid, Burna Boy, Davido, Tems, Rema and Asake, alongside American performers including Megan Thee Stallion, Gunna, Boyz II Men and Bobby Brown. This year’s events continue with Rhythm Unplugged on December 21, Flytime Fest from December 22 to 24, and Flytime Circle on Christmas Day.
The upcoming performance marks Brandy’s return to the city; in 2011, she appeared at the MTN Project Fame gala. She will also headline South Africa’s All White Soul Sessions in Cape Town on December 14, followed by shows in Pretoria on December 17 and 18, making this a celebration of American R&B across two countries on the continent.
Brandy’s performance adds an R&B highlight to “Detty December,” the high-energy holiday and cultural phenomenon running from December into early January in West Africa, primarily centered in Lagos, Nigeria, and Accra, Ghana.
Each year, returning citizens join international visitors and locals for concerts, beach parties and nights that celebrate music and culture. For the diaspora, it’s also a homecoming: a chance to reconnect with family, friendships and the sounds of home. This year, Wizkid will headline the opening concert of Detty December Fest in Lagos on December 18.
Brandy joining the season means this Detty December will include Afrobeats, an R&B sing-along and at least one run best sung by the Vocal Bible herself.