Brandy said Moesha was a glimpse of what life would've been if she wasn't on television

Being able to live a typical teenage life is often taken for granted. Think about it: go out to the movies with your friends, and there are no paparazzi nearby (because they don't know who you are). Many teens dream of being stars, thanks to the influence of TV/film and celebrity culture, but we often don't realize that celebrities dream of being normal.

Brandy was a teen pop star whose debut album sold millions before she made her television debut as Moesha in the show of the same name. At 17, instead of preparing for graduation and going to prom, Brandy was getting ready to star in her own series.

"Even if I get invited, I don't think my mom is going to let me go to a prom," Brandy said in an interview with the Washington Post in 1996. Her mom, Sonja, was also her manager and did her best to keep the young star's life as normal as possible. Moesha gave Brandy a glimpse of what her life would be like if she were a typical teenager.

The series followed the teenage girl obsessed with boys and her friends as they navigated life together. At the end of every episode, Moesha or her friends learn a lesson or face the consequences of their actions. It might take longer than 30 minutes for that to happen in real life, but it was great to showcase that to young people when consuming content on television.

"The more real the character, the more people will respond. Moesha is a character that little girls can look up to. It's very positive."

She continued, "The show has been doing very well with issues like, only men can work in the business world...we dealt with safe sex, and there was an interracial dating issue."

Indeed, the first season of Moesha resonated with young viewers in a way that effectively reached them; it employed a combination of real-life issues and '90s sitcom humor.