The girlies are fighting? Nope! The girlies are going on tour together and putting any and all rivalry rumors to rest. The girlies in question? R&B songbirds Brandy and Monica.

They have taken control of the tension and division that followed their careers after their iconic pop hit together, “The Boy Is Mine.” In their recent Essence cover story, the dynamic duo opened up about healing, legacy, and collaboration.

Brandy, 46, reflected on what the song came to represent for her: “At the time, it was two young women coming together, bringing our voices and our stories into one moment — and the world connected with it in a way we couldn’t have imagined. To see how that song connected with people all over the world — and still does — is such a blessing.”

The iconic song was always more than just a hit for Brandy. She said, “It represented sisterhood and the power of collaboration. Now, all these years later, it feels like a landmark in R&B history, but also a reminder of how far we’ve come as women and as artists.”

Monica, 44, addressed the tensions that came afterward. “I think that even though the lyrical content and some of what started to play out created more division than it did togetherness, we’ve taken control of that, and we’re making what the legacy of this song would be totally different for the next generation,” she said.

Reflecting on the past and present, Monica said, “I try to leave the past just as it is, and focus on the present and the future, because I think it’s so promising.” Monica also admitted that because of their feelings, they may have missed out. "I think, unfortunately, over the years, we’ve missed a lot of opportunity because we maybe focused more on the past. We’ve had an amazing reconnection, and the way that it has come together on our terms and our time is just divine timing," she told Essence.

After “The Boy Is Mine” came out, Brandy and Monica got into a fight backstage at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, and the famous feud persisted for years. They didn’t even speak to each other after that for years. But in 2020, Versus hit the social media streets and the culture rallied for Brandy and Monica to battle it out song for song. The show was a hit. Four years later, they teamed up again for the remix to their classic hit with Ariana Grande. 

Now, with a joint tour set to kick off Oct. 16, they’re approaching their story on their own terms and writing the next chapter together.