Recording and production
Recording of Brandy commenced in 1993. Williams initially consulted Curtis "Sauce" Wilson, Rochad "Cat Daddy" Holiday, and Jeff "Fuzzy" Young from all-male R&B group Somethin' for the People and musician Damon Thomas to work on the album. While Brandy appreciated the material they presented and shared a mutual understanding of her artistic aspirations, allowing her to incorporate her own background vocals and harmony techniques developed from recording in her bedroom, her creative control was limited. She nonetheless enjoyed the collaborative process, particularly when constructing harmonies, as the producers opted not to use additional background vocalists. Together, they often created demo tapes of songs that were submitted to Williams before being approved for studio recording. Brandy's father Willie, a singer and her primary vocal instructor, served as a constant guide during recording, attending every session while remaining in the background and deferring to the producers' direction. While recording her vocals, Brandy was inspired by several singers, citing Houston, Mariah Carey, and gospel group The Clark Sisters as major inspirations.
As one of the first collaborators, Somethin' for the People helped establish the album's foundational sound, introducing a “smooth blend of hip hop sensibilities and contemporary soul” that contrasted with the New Jack Swing style still dominant on the airwaves. Given Brandy’s age of 14, they drew inspiration from Michael Jackson's teenage recordings to develop material with age-appropriate lyrics, focusing on themes of young love and other lighthearted motifs. The group and the Norwood family formed a close bond during production, often spending time together outside the studio and working informally at Somethin' for the People's apartment, with Brandy popping on and off their North Hollywood home to record songs. Because many of the songs were developed at home, they later found it sometimes challenging to recreate the same energy in the studio, however. Somethin' for the People would eventually place three songs on the album, including "Sunny Day", "Give Me You", and "I Dedicate," the latter of which was later split into three interludes, much to the initial disappointment of both the group and Brandy.
Thomas co-wrote "I'm Yours" and introduced a then 16-year-old Robin Thicke to the project, who contributed his first-ever written song and co-writing credit, "Love Is on My Side," having previously connected with Thomas through collaborations with his father, Alan. A year into recording, Williams introduced the relatively unknown writer-producer Keith Crouch, nephew of gospel singer Andraé Crouch, to work with Brandy. While Williams was enthusiastic about Crouch’s material, Brandy initially struggled to relate to some of it, especially on "Baby", whose lyrics made her afraid of not being old enough. However, upon working on "I Wanna Be Down," she became inspired by his input. Crouch ultimately worked on half of the album, setting much of its tone. In a 2012 interview with Vibe magazine, Brandy reflected on their collaboration: "It was very important for me as a young artist. At the time he was not trying to be like anyone else on radio. He was all about his own sound. [He] gave me real music. He didn’t give me teenybopper records. It was age appropriate, youthful records, but it was still real music. We had a great connection."