Scared of Beautiful

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"Scared of Beautiful"
Song by Brandy
from the album Two Eleven
Recorded2012
StudioLarrabee Sound (North Hollywood)
Length3:46
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Scared of Beautiful" is a song by American recording artist

ballad
, "Scared of Beautiful" finds Norwood, as the protagonist, thinking about self and self-growth and being fearless.

Considered by Norwood as one of her favorites, the song was originally conceived as a duet between Norwood and Ocean, but required last-minute recording sessions with Ocean failed to materialize prior to the album's release. "Scared of Beautiful" was generally well received by

Baltimore, Maryland in November 2011.[1]

Background and recording

Frank Ocean (pictured) wrote "Scared of Beautiful".

"Scared of Beautiful" was written by

North Hollywood, California.[2] In early March 2012, Norwood made known that Ocean would contribute to her then upcoming sixth studio album, Two Eleven.[3] He previously wrote the songs "1st & Love" and "Locket (Locked in Love)" for her 2008 album Human, a process which resulted in a close friendship between the singers.[4] Though Ocean didn't write "Scared of Beautiful" specifically for her, Norwood stated that she was owning it now: “It’s on my album, I got a claim... ’Frank Ocean, you wrote that song for me, you just didn’t know it’,” she joked.[5] Ocean's demo of the track was leaked in late 2011.[6] Crafted by Midi Mafia members Waynne Nugent and Kevin Risto along with songwriters Tim Stewart and Lamont Neuble, it features a significantly different, guitar-driven instrumentalization.[6] Campbell, unaware of Ocean's version, produced his own variation of "Scared of Beautiful" with help from Prescott along Norwood's pre-recorded vocals only.[7]

On Two Eleven, the song was originally conceived as a duet between Norwood and Ocean, and was expected to feature the duo exchanging lyrics about looking forwards and not backwards, with lines such as "I wonder why there's no mirrors on these walls no more/ You can't tell me why you're so terrified of beautiful".

Beyoncé Knowles and Rihanna, but "for some reason, it just didn’t end up anybody’s album."[6]

Critical reception

Andrew Hampp of

FACT called the track "a highlight" on Two Eleven and wrote "The production by Warryn Campbell is sublime, the moment when the guitar comes in over those filtered 808s sending particular shivers down FACT’s collective spine right now.[11] Angie Writes of Soul Culture who stated that "Without You” felt "frantic", came to the conclusion that on "Without You" and "Scared of Beautiful" Norwood was "100% authentic." She commented that the song was "tailor made for Brandy and the legions of fans who connected with her transparency. A lavish confrontation, “Scared of Beautiful” reflects Brandy's internal struggle over the years, both professionally and personally to feel “good enough.” Fiercely introspective this gem pushes us toward accepting the best of ourselves."[12]

Mikael Wood of

Boston Globe found that "the version of Frank Ocean’s keenly observed, honest “Scared of Beautiful” is among her finest moments ever." He concluded that track, along with “Wish Your Love Away,” show "how important good material is to her success. With her producers subtly augmenting her vocals with lush harmonies, Brandy executes these songs with confidence."[14] By contrast, Andrew Chan of Slant Magazine was mixed, writing that "melodically the song is an Ocean throwaway, but the schizophrenic lyrics allow Brandy to test out her gift as a storyteller—something that didn't come naturally to her in the sometimes unconvincing performances of her youth." He felt that on the track "Brandy's left no room to ululate, leashing herself to the bottom of her range all the better to goad her mirror image into self-affirmation."[15] Elliot Robinson, writing for So So Gay, declared "Scared of Beautiful" a "smouldering track, but also a little meandering and forgettable, featuring a theme in the same territory as the monster Christina Aguilera hit, "Beautiful"."[16] Both Rap-Up and USA Today ranked the song among their favorite tracks on the album alongside "Wildest Dreams", “No Such Thing As Too Late” and “Let Me Go.”[17][18]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Two Eleven.[2]

Charts

For the week ending October 27, 2012, "Scared of Beautiful" debuted at number 48 on the

South Korean International Singles Chart, eventually selling 7,100 digital downloads within two weeks.[19]

Weekly chart performance for "Scared of Beautiful"
Chart (2012) Peak
position
South Korea (
Gaon Chart)[19]
 48

References

  1. ^ a b "Brandy On Being "The Comeback Queen", Upcoming Tour, Two Eleven, The First Family & Kim Kardashian". 93.9 WKYSfm. Viacom. 2012-11-12. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  2. ^ a b c d Two Eleven (Media notes). Brandy Norwood. RCA Records. 2012.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ a b Horrowitz, Steven J. (2012-08-21). "Brandy wants to bring R&B back with new album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  4. ^ Hampp, Andrew (2012-08-21). "Backbeat: RCA Staff, Chameleon's Breyon Prescott Preview Tracks Off Brandy's Upcoming 'Two Eleven' Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  5. ^ a b Newman, Melinda (2012-10-16). "Interview: Brandy on 'Two Eleven,' Chris Brown and Frank Ocean". HitFix. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
  6. ^ a b c "Interview: Creating Music With No Boundaries Is The Key To Success for The MIDI Mafia". YouKnowIGotSoul.com. 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2013-12-28.
  7. ^ "Warryn Campbell Speaks on the production of SCARED OF BEAUTIFUL by Brandy". TheBrandyBlog Fan Mail (YouTube). 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
  8. ^ "Exclusive: Brandy Champions Frank Ocean, Calls Dawn Richard the 'Future'". Rap-Up.com. 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
  9. ^ Viera, Bené (2012-10-29). "Brandy's Two Eleven Revives The R&B Of Yesteryear". VH1. Viacom. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
  10. ^ Hampp, Andrew (2012-10-16). "Brandy, 'Two Eleven': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  11. FACT
    . 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
  12. ^ Writes, Angie (2012-10-17). "Brandy – Two Eleven (Deluxe), Album Review". Soul Culture. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
  13. ^ Wood, Mikael (2012-10-16). "Brandy looks for a comeback with 'Two Eleven'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  14. Boston Globe
    . Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  15. ^ Chan, Andrew (2012-10-14). "Album Review: Brandy: Two Eleven". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
  16. ^ Robinson, Elliot (2012-10-23). "Album Review: Brandy – Two Eleven (Deluxe Edition)". So So Gay. Archived from the original on 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2012-10-23.
  17. ^ "Review Roundup: Brandy – 'Two Eleven'". Rap-Up. 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
  18. ^ Gundersen, Edna; Jones, Steve (2012-10-16). "Listen Up: Mika, Brandy, Placido Domingo". USA Today. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  19. ^
    Gaon Chart. Archived from the original
    on August 25, 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
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