
Brandy and Monica reveal who inspired their hit song The Boy Is Mine
Brandy and Monica revealed the inspiration behind their hit duet, The Boy Is Mine, 25 years after releasing the song.
The pair reflected on their collaborative track, which won a Grammy following its release nearly three decades ago, after announcing their upcoming, co-headlining tour of the same name.
While making a joint appearance on Wednesday's episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the duo discussed the making of the 1998 track.
The late night talk show host asked Brandy, 46, if it was true that she got the idea for the concept from watching The Jerry Springer Show.
She confirmed it and explained: 'Yes, I was a huge Jerry Springer fan, and one of the topics was, "The boy is mine." I'm like, "Oh my god, song idea. Let's do this."'
After getting the inspiration, Brandy said she knew she wanted to get Monica, 44, to work with her on the song — which was also a source of inspiration for the same-name song on Ariana Grande 's latest album Eternal Sunshine.
'I was always a fan of hers and I wanted to work with her, so I called her up and asked her to be a part of the song, and she said yes,' she recalled. 'And here we are.'
When they started working together, Monica said she told Brandy that she thought people would believe they were fighting over a man because of the nature of the song.
'That was the point,' Brandy then added.
The Jerry Springer Show was also included in a snippet of the original music video accompanying Brandy and Monica's beloved duet.
At the beginning of the video, Brandy is seen watching the daytime talk show that ran from 1991 to 2018.
Then, Monica is seen changing the channel.
When Brandy changes it back, the two squabble over the TV right before the song starts.
The song was an instant hit and spent 13 weeks at the top of the Billboard charts as well as winning the dynamic duo a Grammy.
After getting the inspiration, Brandy said she knew she wanted to get Monica, 44, to work with her on the song — which was also a source of inspiration for the same-name song on Ariana Grande 's latest album Eternal Sunshine
Many years later, the pair released another duet titled It All Belongs to Me in 2012.
After releasing their second duet, the pair were rumoed to be in a longstanding feud.
When Ariana Grande asked them to join in on her remix, they agreed and credited the pop star for reuniting them again and bridging the gap.
Last year, Brandy and Monica earned their 13th and fifth Grammy nominations, respectively, due to their features on Grande's The Boy Is Mine remix.
Last summer, Monica said that 'the process of the new collaboration did a lot of closing the gaps.'
She told ET: 'When you properly communicate something, you can find not only the resolutions and solutions to problems, but sometimes you find that there weren't ever problems, just consistent miscommunications. It made it a lot easier just to talk.'
Earlier this week, the R&B icons announced their first-ever joint tour, more than 25 years after releasing The Boy Is Mine.
The pair will be going on a 24-city arena tour alongside opening acts Kelly Rowland, Muni Long and Jamal Roberts of American Idol.
Their tour will kick off on October 16 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
And the pair will perform in cities across the United States before closing out the American tour in Houston, Texas on December 7.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
33 minutes ago
- The Sun
US Darts Masters LIVE SCORES: Luke Littler, Luke Humphries in action TONIGHT for Madison Square Garden showdown
THE US Darts Masters is set to take over New York - and the action is underway TONIGHT! Luke Littler & the world's best players will take to the States to clash eight of the best from USA and Canada - including PDC Tour regular Matt Campbell. Littler will be joined by English team-mate Luke Humphries, alongside other PDC superstars, such as Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price. Rob Cross is the reigning champion and will defend his US Darts Masters crown at the iconic Theatre at Madison Square Garden in NYC. Follow ALL the action with our live blog below... 4 minutes ago By Tom Sheen Here we go! Darts is back in New York City! The Theatre at Madison Square Garden hosts the world's biggest and best darts players this weekend with the likes of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries in the Big Apple to showcase their skills. The US Darts Masters is one of the favourite trips on the darting calendar for players, with all the glitz and glamour of MSG a far cry from some of the halls and back rooms they get dragged to on the European Tour and Players Championship. The prize pot may not be as big as some of the other tournaments but all the players will be desperate to win this one, with a little bit of Stateside exposure never a bad thing. We have about an hour until things kick off, with all the big names in action in the first round.


The Sun
33 minutes ago
- The Sun
Jessie J reveals she's NOT cancer free as she shares new health update after mastectomy
JESSIE J revealed she doesn't yet know if she's cancer free after her mastectomy. The 37-year-old singer had the operation earlier this week in a bid to beat her breast cancer, and some fans misinterpreted a post that stated: "Cancer has all gone". 6 6 Jessie said her words had been "misunderstood" and that her statement was a "positive affirmation". She wrote: "I posted a list of pros and cons of having breast cancer surgery. The first pro I put was... the cancer has all gone'. "This was a positive affirmation NOT a fact. I don't have my results yet. I added the [fingers crossed emoji] in thinking people would understand and clearly a lot didn't. "A weird situation," she continued. "My fault for not being clearer. But for now I do not have my results after surgery which was only 6 nights ago. I pray it will be true soon but the journey of cancer isn't that simple unfortunately." Jessie is now taking a break from social media as she continues her recovery. "Tapping off socials for a week," she said. "Healthy and needed reset. To focus on my recovery and saying stuff that gets twisted of misread. "My head and boob hurts. Lol, Bye. Always loveeeee." After her operation, Jessie admitted she was struggling not being able to pick up her two-year-old son, Sky. She then outlined the 'pros' of the procedure, writing: "Cancer is all gone. "My nipple is where it used to be, I can watch Love Island with no guilt. "I am getting to rest and talk to friends more than ever. "My mum lives with us. Sky just being Sky. Chanan making me feel safe and the messages are 10/10. "Connecting with other people who are going through a similar time and being able to support each other." The list was then followed by a "cons" equivalent. "Not being the mum I'm used to being and picking Sky up," she typed. "The fear of not knowing if the cancer is all gone - the mental with this is... "The pain and discomfort is ok and expected but a d******d when I'm trying to sleep." Jessie explained how the only painkillers she was allowed to take were paracetamol and ibuprofen due to having low blood pressure. 6 She did try and clear up her post at the time, warning she hadn't meant for the statement to be read as "fact" and that she is still awaiting her results. The BRIT winner added: "I'm getting a lot of messages. Saying so happy all the cancer has gone. To be clear I added the [fingers crossed] emoji as it's a hope not a fact. "I only had my surgery 4 days ago. I was just saying the pros of surgery and this situation and being positive. But I will get my results soon. "And hopefully I can post that as a fact. But for now I don't know. But I will stay positive and talk what l want into the universe." Earlier this month, Jessie - who shares son Sky with basketball player Chanan Colman - revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Incredibly, she went ahead and performed at this year's Capital FM Summertime Ball in London on June 15. Jessie held back tears as she told the crowd at Wembley Stadium that she was taking a break to "beat breast cancer". 6 6 6


BBC News
42 minutes ago
- BBC News
A 'fake trial': Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyers make final arguments to jurors
The sex trafficking and racketeering case against hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was "badly, badly exaggerated", his lawyer told a panel of 12 New York jurors on his closing, Marc Agnifilo argued for four hours that the government was criminalizing Combs and girlfriends' "swingers lifestyle" in what amounted to a "fake trial". His 55-year-old client pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. "The government targeted Sean Combs," Mr Agnifilo told the court, leading to an objection - later sustained - from prosecutors. Lawyer Christy Slavik spoke to jurors for five-and-a-half hours in the prosecution's closing arguments on Thursday, telling them that Combs abused his power and business empire to sex traffic women and commit other crimes. The prosecution claimed Combs plied his ex girlfriends with drugs, and used violence and other means to coerce them into so-called "freak-offs" - Combs' name for events where he watched and filmed while they had sex with male escorts. While Ms Slavik was calm and methodical during a guided digital presentation, Mr Agnifilo was animated - pacing back and forth, and frequently cracking jokes. He began by attacking the credibility of Combs' ex-girlfriends who testified against him, Casandra Ventura and anonymous witness "Jane". He called Combs' 11-year-relationship with Ms Ventura - in which she alleges he beat her repeatedly - "one of the great modern love stories". She was a willing participant in their sex lives, he said. "She's a woman who actually likes sex - good for her," Mr Agnifilo said. "She's beautiful, she should." He argued Ms Ventura was no victim, as Combs was now in jail and she settled a civil lawsuit against him for physical abuse and sexual coercion for millions of dollars. "If you had to pick a winner in this whole thing, it's hard not to pick Cassie," he said. The problems in their relationship amounted to domestic violence - and not sex trafficking, Mr Agnifilo said. He tried to cast doubt on prosecutors' argument that the rapper used violence to coerce Ms Ventura into participating in freak-offs. The government has focused on a 2016 surveillance video of Combs beating Ms Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel, allegedly after she tried to leave a freak-off. Playing the video for jurors again, Mr Agnifilo argued it could not have been an instance of sex trafficking because Ms Ventura appeared to gesture Combs back to their room when a security guard arrived on the scene. There was "nothing scary in the room", he said, adding that freak-offs were "beautiful evenings" with nice music and well-decorated rooms. Mr Agnifilo also attempted to chip away at Jane's testimony, citing one night where she alleges the rapper was violent with her before a freak-off. "Her story truly makes no sense," he lawyer attacked the government's racketeering case, the allegation that Combs relied on his loyal employees to help him commit sex trafficking and other crimes, then cover them was a "gaping lack of evidence" that Combs and his employees ran some sort of criminal enterprise, and that there were any co-conspirators, he said. Combs' former chief-of-staff, Kristina Khorram, whom prosecutors have pointed to as a co-conspirator, is a "helpful" woman who everyone loved, Agnifilo told the jury.A real co-conspirator, he claimed, would have helped kick the door down when Combs is alleged to have tried to break into his ex-girlfriend's home. In response to the transportation to engage in prostitution charge, Mr Agnifilo argued that male escorts the hip-hop mogul and his girlfriends hired were paid "for their time" with the couple, and not for sex. At the end of his arguments, Combs, wearing an off-white sweater, hugged his attorney. His family, including his twin daughters and mother, were seated behind him for the second day in a row. In a rebuttal to the defence's closing on Friday, prosecutor Maurene Comey took a more aggressive tone than Ms Slavik's, slamming Combs' lawyers for suggesting his ex-girlfriends were lying and that they wanted to engage in freak-offs after being beaten. "There is no separating the violence from the sex," Ms Comey said. "They were trapped emotionally, physically and financially."She noted Ms Ventura's lawsuit settlement, asking, "why risk it all by perjuring herself at a federal trial?" Jurors will reconvene on Monday for the judge's instructions on how to weigh the case against the hip-hop mogul. Deliberations are expected to begin soon after. Combs is facing life in prison over the most serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.