Did you know that back in 2001-2002, recording artists Brandy and Michael Jackson quietly traded background vocals? With this interesting social share making its way through the internet streets, many folks put on their Questlove, musical historian hats to dig into the lore.

Super producer, Rodney Jerkins, who worked with both legends, was splitting his time between Brandy’s “Full Moon” and Jackson’s “Invincible” in the same Miami studio, the Hit Factory. Jerkins asked Brandy if she wanted to meet the King of Pop and the answer was immediate and obvious. Even though the then-17-year-old Brandy admitted to fainting (and embarrassing her brother Ray J) when she met Jackson, that still didn’t stop him from offering “vocal assistance” on Brandy’s album.

Turns out, Brandy contributed background vocals to Jackson’s “Unbreakable,” the opener to the album, and Jackson is heard on Brandy’s ad-libbing on “It’s Not Worth It.” 

“Full Moon” has been praised by fans and rightfully so. The album became Brandy’s first project to top the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Album chart, and it earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album. It’s also one of the biggest showcases of Brandy’s signature stacked vocal harmonies, a skill the legendary Quincy Jones said reminded him of Jackson.

Brandy told Billboard, “When I had an opportunity to work with Quincy when I was younger, he told my dad, ‘Brandy has something that Michael Jackson has.’”

She continued retelling her Quincy story, “‘She can stack her voice and it’ll sound like one person, like it can kind of trick computers.’ And I’m like, ‘Dad, he did not say that! Really? Quincy Jones said that?’”

Jerkins taught Brandy to stack harmonies as he had for Jackson. He told the We Sound Crazy podcast, “The way I was recording backgrounds with Michael Jackson… I remember the first day telling Brandy, ‘This is how we’re going to do the backgrounds,’… the bar that Michael had was so high.”

Brandy also recalls the overlapping sessions that changed her life. “‘Full Moon’ was happening on one side and ‘Invincible’ was happening on the other side. Michael Jackson was in the other studio,” she told Rated R&B. She said that Jerkins told her she had to meet Jackson’s standards and quoted Jerkins, who told her, “This is the Michael Jackson way. If you want to be the greatest, then you better do this.”

And she did do it! And continues to do it. Often referred to as the vocal bible, Brandy’s tone, texture, and abilities are often emulated but never duplicated. 

The creative bond she and Michael Jackson shared was rooted in mutual respect. These vocal turns were never considered an official duet, which the world deserved. They kind of exist as hidden collaborations, but upon deeply listening, their voices meld in a way that begs for more. Reportedly, Jackson loved Brandy’s angelic voice.

All of that to say, or to implore, please put some respect on Brandy, the vocal bible’s name!