Yvette Nicole Brown Says She 'Stalked' New Edition's Michael Bivins to Land Record Deal
Yvette Nicole Brown Says She 'Stalked' New Edition's Michael Bivins to Land Record Deal
Virginia ChamleeWed, May 6, 2026 at 4:43 PM UTC
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Yvette Nicole Brown; Michael BivinsCredit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty; Brendon Cook/BFA.com/Shutterstock -
Yvette Nicole Brown is sharing how her teenage fandom helped pave the way for her career in Hollywood
In a new podcast, the actress says she got her start by "stalking" New Edition's Michael Bivins at a concert
Her plan worked and she ultimately sang for Bivins, who helped launch her career
Yvette Nicole Brown is looking back at the moment that launched her career — and how it all started with a little teenage persistence.
In an appearance on the Wednesday, May 6 episode of the Teen Beat podcast, Brown, 54, told host Danielle Fishel that when she was 19, she quite literally chased down Michael Bivins of New Edition in the hopes of landing a record deal.
“I was 19 when I met [Michael Bivins]. I'd been a fan of New Edition since I was 12. When they first came out in '83, I was like, 'That's it. That's my group,' ” Brown recalled.
At the time, Bivins was already building a name for himself beyond performing, helping launch acts like Boyz II Men — and Brown took note.
Yvette Nicole BrownCredit: Brian To/Variety/Penske Media via Getty
“I'm like, 'I'm a singer. He's gotta manage me, ' " Brown said.
So, she took matters into her own hands following one of his concerts.
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“I kinda stalked him after a concert in Cleveland," she said on the podcast, adding, "his bodyguard helped me find where they were staying, and I stalked him."
"I was like, Mister Bivens, may I sing for you? Mister Bivens, may I sing for you?” she continued. “Mind you, Michael was maybe three or four years older than me. 'Mister Bivens.' What am I doing? ... So he finally let me sing for him, and the next day, he called me and said, 'I wanna manage you.' "
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Brown was soon signed to Bivins’ Biv 10 Records and became part of the East Coast Family, a collective of musical acts Bivins discovered. Though her music career didn’t ultimately define her path, the experience opened doors and built the confidence that would carry her into Hollywood.
“It was the most miraculous thing, but the craziest thing about my story with Michael,” she continued. “So we go from fan of New Edition to signed by Michael and on Viv 10 Records to working as Michael's assistant when I first moved to LA, to then playing his mother in the New Edition movie. Literally, it's a full circle.”
That “full circle” moment came years later when Brown portrayed Bivins’ mother in 2017's The New Edition Story. The actress has since gone on to star in the NBC comedy series Community, Inside Out 2, Mom, The Black Lady Sketch Show and dozens of other projects.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
