R&B singer Brandy has defied the odds with her latest single, using her iconic vocals -- and yes, a little help from soul crooner and part-time rapper Chris Brown -- to snag a top 10 spot on the Billboard charts.
The songstress told Billboard she wanted to shock people with her new sound and the risk is paying off.
Brandy's single "Put It Down" jumped six spots to No. 5 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart this week, making it her first top ten single on the chart in 10 years. Her last hit on the chart was 2002s "What About Us?" The song peaked at No. 3.
After a four-year hiatus from music, the news was a triumphant moment for the singer who tweeted, "I can't lie - at one point I thought it was over for me in music but God had another plan thank you Father!"
The track is the lead single off of the singer's sixth studio album Two Eleven. This will be her first project since 2009's critical and chart failure Human, an album Brandy says wasn't a true definition of her as an artist.
I believe a lot of the songs on that album have inspired some of the fans," she told OUT Magazine. "But, where I felt creatively. it could've gone and the space I was in creatively, I needed everybody around me to be in that same space."
But with a move to RCA/Chamelon Records -- she parted from Epic records in 2009 -- Brandy says she is excited about her new sound and her new team.
"This project means so much to me. I've worked very hard on it. I feel like I have found that right place and the right people are in my life to help me fulfill this dream that I've had for a while."
The album will include production by Bangladesh, Jim Jonsin, Timbaland, and Sean Garrett. A duet with Frank Ocean is only on deck.
Brandy focused solely on the music with this project, telling Rap-Up Magazine the album is "just an R&B album, a rhythm and blues album. That's what it is. No gimmicks, real R&B music."
The "Put It Down" video premiered in July and has been viewed over 10 million times on YouTube since its release.
Two Eleven will hit store shelves on October 16.