Brandy's New Song "Bye BiPolar" Is an Open Discussion of Mental Health

Mental health is no longer off-limits for Brandy Norwood. The singer recently released her latest album, B7, and it was met with an exuberant response from her fans. Even as they reveled in the release of Brandy's first album in eight years, they also began to wonder about one song in particular. The song in question is "Bye BiPolar," which has received plenty of love from fans but also led them to wonder if Brandy herself has bipolar disorder. 

After the song was released and started trending, there were plenty online who were curious whether Brandy has the disorder. "Wait so 'Bye Bipolar' is trending.... Does @4everBrandy even have Bipolar Disorder? Asking for millions of my friends. *shrugs*," one user wrote. "I see Bye Bipolar is trending and thought, we saying bye to mental illness?" another added. 

Although there was plenty of speculation, Brandy does not actually have bipolar disorder. According to notes that the singer wrote to accompany the album, "Bye BiPolar" is a metaphor that she's using for her own love life. The song's lyrics clearly make reference to a couple, and it's evident that what she's referring to is a relationship filled with moments of emotional whiplash. 

While the song is about her love life, Brandy is also discussing the way that her mental health struggles have been exacerbated by toxic relationships. In freeing herself from them, the singer has also improved her own mental health. In fact, she makes it clear that while she doesn't suffer from bipolar disorder, she knows what it's like to struggle with mental health issues. 

“People need to understand that it’s very real and it’s not something that you judge," she wrote. "We judge things and we don’t have enough compassion. We don’t have enough love, we don’t have enough understanding. Sometimes I feel like we look at things as just something to talk about, as just news." Brandy's fans are certainly appreciative of the new song, and think that the singer put her heart and soul into the track. 

After a long drought without new music from Brandy, fans are soaking up the opportunity to listen to the new tracks. "I’m on my fourth listen. The production/vocal arrangements are d--n good!! Each song’s production flows seamlessly into the next, creating an overall cohesiveness to the project. My favorites are Rather Be, No Tomorrow, Love Again, and Bye Bipolar. Well done," one user wrote. 

"Bye Bipolar is definitely my favorite track on B7. Love Again & Say Something are standouts as well," another added. 

Clearly "Bye BiPolar" is one of the album's standout tracks, and it may be in part because Brandy was so willing to be open about her own pain and mental health struggles. While she doesn't suffer from bipolar disorder herself, it seems that she wanted to shine a spotlight on the importance of looking out for your own mental well-being.