Brandy and Monica, the once-feuding stars of R&B, are singing each others’ praises after their reunion tour hit an unexpected hurdle over the weekend.
Singer-actor Brandy sent virtual flowers to “my sister, Monica, for stepping up with such grace and professionalism” as she explained her abrupt exit from the duo’s Chicago concert on Saturday. The “Cinderella” star, 46, turned heads at the Chicago’s United Center when she walked off stage mid-performance, according to video shared by TMZ, leaving Monica to finish performing their Grammy-winning hit “The Boy Is Mine,” solo.
“I sincerely apologize for the abrupt end to last night’s performance in Chicago. After weeks of nonstop rehearsals, last night I experienced dehydration and feelings of wanting to faint,” Brandy said in an Instagram statement shared Sunday. “Everyone involved agreed that prioritizing my well-being was of the utmost importance.”
The “Afrodisiac” artist explained that it was her decision to push forward with the concert, “despite not feeling OK.” Even after making “some adjustments,” Brandy said it was ultimately “impossible to fully connect sonically with the production.” The “Missing You” singer said she left the arena and was treated by a doctor and has “taken the proper precautions to help moving forward.”
Brandy and Monica announced their co-headlining Boy Is Mine tour in June and kicked off the shows Thursday in Cincinnati. They are set to perform at the Kia Forum on Nov. 9.
A day after her sudden walk-off, Brandy was back on stage Sunday with Monica at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. She shared photos from their latest gig to Instagram on Monday.
“You absolutely killed it last night @brandy,” Monica said in her Instagram story on Monday, reposting the singer’s photos.
Brandy and Monica embarked on their Boy Is Mine tour 27 years after releasing the namesake single in 1998. The singers, who shared a contentious relationship notably defined by an alleged altercation at the VMAs in 1998, earned a Grammy award for the hit.
Before launching their tour, Brandy and Monica had reunited several times for several projects, including a remix of their hit with Ariana Grande and a 2020 appearance on “Verzuz.” While promoting the tour in June, Monica told CBS Mornings that their feud “started as nothing and it really did turn into something.”
“There was a lot of confusion and conflict and there was a lot of people around,” she said, adding that she and Brandy were merely teenagers when their feud came to a head.
The Boy Is Mine tour continues Friday with a stop in Nashville and will conclude Dec. 14 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
Staff writer Julius Miller contributed to this report.
