Brandy Norwood is back on the music scene with the follow-up to her 2008 album, Human. But, before the chart-topping singer and actress drops her highly-anticipated album, Two Eleven, on October 16, she sat down with The Insider and opened up about finding love, losing Whitney Houston, and getting a lyrical boost from Chris Brown on her new single “Put It Down.” The 33-year-old Grammy Award-winning artist explained the meaning behind her album’s numerical title.

“It was the day I was born and it’s also the day I lost Whitney Houston. So, that day just means so much to me,” she revealed in the video below. “And, I just want to continue to live my life with purpose and make her proud. That’s my way of [paying] tribute [to] her.”

She continued by mentioning Houston’s final words of advice before her sudden death. “One of the last things she said to me was, ‘Nobody can be you, just be you, don’t be afraid to be you…’ And, you know, at the time it was just like, ‘Okay.’ But, when you lose someone, and that’s one of the last things they say, you just want to continue to do the best you can do for yourself and be the greatest version of yourself … and that’s hard.”

Brandy has been absent from the charts in recent years and focusing on her acting career with roles on Drop Dead Diva and BET’s The Game, and she’s also served as a mentor on talent show Majors and Minors. But, her latest track has placed her squarely back on the top of the charts and the singer had glowing words for Chris Brown, the man helping her put it down.

“We all have our struggle,” Brandy said, regarding the controversies Chris has faced during his career. “We all have our path, you know, but I do think the things we go through make us who we are and it makes us better. It makes us learn and discover new things about ourselves…so I’m happy to work with him, he’s great.”

Chris returned the compliment by calling Brandy “one of the best female vocalists.”