After months of speculation and unsubstantiated rumours, Brandy has finally announced her new record deal. The contralto has officially joined RCA Records in a joint deal with Chameleon Records, 2 years after her departure from Epic Records in 2009 following the commercial failure of her ‘Human’ album.

Peter Edge, CEO of the RCA Music Group, has expressed his pleasure with working with Brandy and promises that her next album (due in 2012) will entail some of her most “exciting music” to date. Read what Brandy had to say about joining the label, which is also the new home of Chris Brown and Britney Spears, below:

“This is truly a blessing,” Brandy said in a statement. “Breyon Prescott, Peter Edge and Tom Corson [RCA Music Group’s President and chief operating officer] believe in me and have introduced me to a home that also believes and knows exactly what to do with the type of music I’m doing. Breyon and the team at RCA/Chameleon are creative and forward-thinking and I am thrilled to be working with them.”

Read more on the Los Angeles Times.

Brandy has  truly made a sound decision by joining RCA. The label currently comprises most of the leading Pop acts in the industry and executives are seeking to rebrand it as a universal company that will dominate the market in various genres. Hence, she has the opportunity to establish herself as its leading R&B act.

Furthermore, Brandy was smart to avoid J Records, which is also part of the RCA Music Group, because she would undoubtedly have to compete with Alicia Keys, Monica and several other more commercially viable acts for label support. She is undoubtedly an astounding talent but her sales have steadily declined since ‘Full Moon’ and ‘Human’ was a climax of critical and commerical catastrophe.

Hopefully, Brandy is able to forge a new career and reposition herself as a driving force in R&B music again. Her voice has truly been missed.

Thoughts?