“Moesha” alum Brandy has been cast as the third lead in ABC’s hip-hop drama pilot “Queens.”
The pilot, which hails from writer Zahir McGhee, centers on four estranged and out-of-touch women in their 40s who “reunite for a chance to recapture their fame and regain the swagger they had as the Nasty Bitches — their ’90s group that made them legends in the hip-hop world.”
Brandy will star as Naomi, a.k.a Xplicit Lyrics, “the highly skilled musical engine of the Nasty Bitches.” Per ABC, “A true artist with boundless musical talent — Naomi was certain she’d go on to mainstream success after the group’s demise. She hasn’t, singing and playing her guitar in crappy dive bars where all people want is her old persona. When the group gets back together, Naomi is reunited with the only man she ever loved, and the rival bandmate who stole that man from her. But what Naomi wants more than anything is to build a relationship with the daughter she was never really there for — if she only knew how.”
Brandy joins fellow series regulars Eve, Naturi Naughton and Pepi Sonuga, marking her return to television after previously starring on the Fox musical drama “Star.” In addition to acting on “Queens,” Brandy will also provide original music for her character.
McGhee, a Shondaland veteran who worked on both “Scandal” and “For the People” at ABC, is writer and executive producer on the ABC Signature pilot alongside Sabrina Wind.