Brandy Norwood is singing the A Different World theme for Netflix. Three acts came before her. Brandy takes on a theme song Aretha Franklin once sang. The sequel lands September 24.
A singer just joined a short list of artists who have performed the theme for a long-running college sitcom. Her version arrives with a sequel series that brings back a large piece of the original cast.
Brandy will sing the theme song for Netflix’s A Different World sequel, following Aretha Franklin, Phoebe Snow and Boyz II Men
Brandy follows Phoebe Snow, Aretha Franklin and Boyz II Men. She will perform the A Different World theme song for the sequel series.
Her rendition plays before each episode of the Netflix show, which releases on September 24.
“Singing this iconic theme song for A Different World means everything to me. It was one of those shows that I had to watch every time it came on. I remember the song and how it made me feel,” Brandy shared.
Snow sang it for Season 1. Franklin took over for seasons 2 through 5, and Boyz II Men handled the sixth and final season. Dawnn Lewis, an original cast member, wrote the song with Stu Gardner and Bill Cosby, who created A Different World as a spinoff of his family sitcom The Cosby Show.
The A Different World sequel brings back a long list of original cast.
Felicia Pride writes, showruns and executive produces the 10-episode single-cam series. Maleah Joi Moon plays Deborah, the youngest child of Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert, with Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy back in those roles. Deborah enters her freshman year at Hillman College, where living up to her parents’ reputation complicates her own path among a new generation of Hillman students.
Other original cast members return as well. Darryl M. Bell, Cree Summer, Charnele Brown, Jenifer Lewis, Jada Pinkett Smith, Dawnn Lewis, Glynn Turman, Karen Malina White and Ajai Sanders all reprise their characters.
The new cast also includes the next generation at the fictional HBCU. Alijah Kai plays criminal justice major Rashida Duvall, Cornell Young IV plays athlete Shaquille Johnson, Jordan Aaron Hall plays psych major Amir Rodale, Kennedi Reece plays Hazel Henry, and Chibuikem Uche plays fashion entrepreneur Kojo Achebe.
Guest casting includes Tichina Arnold, Joshua Suiter, Raven Goodwin, Cliff “Method Man” Smith and Norman Nixon Jr.
Debbie Allen, who directed 83 episodes of the original series, directed the series premiere. Tiffany Johnson, Angela Barnes, Nefertite Nguvu and Bille Woodruff direct the remaining episodes. Original series writers Reggie Rock Bythewood and Gina Prince-Bythewood executive produce alongside Tom Werner, Allen, Pride and Mandy Summers.
WHOSE VERSION OF THE THEME WILL YOU BE COMPARING IT TO? TELL US IN THE COMMENTS!
