Brenda Edwards facts for kids

Brenda Edwards is a talented English singer, actress, and TV personality. She became well-known after appearing on The X Factor in 2005. Since 2019, she has been a regular on the popular TV show Loose Women. She also presents the BBC One program Songs of Praise.

Brenda Edwards' Early Life

Brenda Claudina Susan Artman was born on March 2, 1969, in Luton, England. Her family came from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. When Brenda was young, her parents sadly passed away in a car accident in 1974. She and her older brother, Rodney, were then raised by relatives.

Brenda's grandmother encouraged her to attend church, where she discovered her love for music and singing. She joined the Sunday school junior choir and later became its leader. She also sang in the Pentecostal Collective Church of God in Christ (COGIC) mass choir.

As she grew older, Brenda started singing different types of music. By age 18, she performed at local places like nightclubs and special events such as weddings. Before becoming a successful entertainer, Brenda worked full-time in accounting.

Brenda Edwards' Career Journey

Starting Out in the 1990s

In the 1990s, Brenda provided vocals for various music recordings. She gained some early success in 1996 on a track called "Wiggly World Part Two" by Junior Jack.

The X Factor Experience in 2005

In 2005, Brenda Edwards appeared on the second series of The X Factor. She was in the "Over-25s" group, mentored by Sharon Osbourne. Brenda impressed judges and viewers with her powerful voice. She sang songs like "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Midnight Train to Georgia". She made it to the semi-final, finishing in fourth place.

Starring in Musicals (2007–2009)

After The X Factor, Brenda began a successful career in musical theatre. She was chosen to play Mama Morton in the famous West End musical Chicago. She performed this role multiple times between 2007 and 2009.

In 2007, Brenda also played a special role called Pearl in Carmen Jones at the Royal Festival Hall. That same year, she won the Favourite Reality Star award at the Screen Nation awards. In 2009, she toured the UK as Killer Queen in the Queen musical We Will Rock You.

Stage Roles and Loose Women (2010–Present)

Brenda continued her stage career, returning to the West End production of We Will Rock You as Killer Queen in 2010.

In 2010, Brenda announced plans to release her first album. The first song from the album, "You Know How To Love Me," was released in November 2010.

Over the years, Brenda has taken on many different roles. In 2012, she played blues singer Bessie Smith in a musical workshop. She also appeared in the BBC One sitcom The Wright Way in 2013. From 2015 to 2017, she toured the UK and Ireland in the musical Hairspray, playing Motormouth Maybelle.

In 2019, Brenda became a guest panellist on ITV's Loose Women. She quickly became a regular and has been a weekly panellist ever since. Brenda, along with Charlene White, Judi Love, and Kéllé Bryan, made history as the first all-Black panel on the show.

In July 2019, it was announced that Brenda would play the main role of Delores Van Cartier in the UK tour of Sister Act: The Musical. The role was even changed to fit Brenda, after she was initially told she was "too old" for the part in earlier auditions.

Since January 2021, Brenda has also been a presenter on the BBC program Songs of Praise. In June 2022, she returned to the UK tour of Chicago to play Matron "Mama" Morton again.

Brenda Edwards' Personal Life

Brenda Edwards has two children, a daughter named Tanisha and a son named Jamal (1990–2022). Jamal was the founder of SB.TV, a well-known online music platform. He also owned a record label called Just Jam. Jamal passed away in 2022. Brenda shared that he died while she was holding his hand. In 2011, Brenda and Jamal appeared together in an advertisement for Google Chrome.

Brenda has faced and overcome some health challenges in her life.