The Untold Story of Victoria Monét

MsMojo

The world must known Victoria Monet's story. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re exploring Victoria Monét’s journey from aspiring performer to Grammy winner.

Transcript

00:00 "To everybody who has a dream, I want you to look at this as an example."

00:04 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're exploring Victoria Monet's journey from aspiring performer

00:11 to Grammy winner.

00:12 "Have you ever done something for the first time and just knew that that's what you'd

00:16 be doing forever?

00:17 Well that's what happened to me."

00:21 On the evening of February 4th, 2024, Victoria Monet's name echoed triumphantly as she

00:27 clinched the title of Best New Artist at the Grammys.

00:30 "And my roots have been growing underneath ground, unseen for so long.

00:36 And I feel like today I'm sprouting, finally above ground."

00:41 Adding to her glory, she also secured awards for Best R&B Album and Best Engineered Album

00:47 Non-Classical.

00:49 With numerous other nominations under her belt, she trailed only behind SZA as the second

00:54 most nominated artist of the night.

00:56 "There's so many emotions running through me.

00:58 I'm like running, trying to run back my speech like, 'Did I say everything that

01:02 I meant to say?'

01:03 You know, but I'm so thankful and feeling so good."

01:06 But her journey to Grammy success didn't start there.

01:10 From her early days harmonizing in her local youth choir to leading her own dance troupe,

01:15 her path to stardom was paved with dedication and talent.

01:19 Even if you've only just heard her name at the Grammys, chances are you've already

01:23 come across her work.

01:25 Let's rewind and explore the captivating rise of Victoria Monet.

01:29 "I look fly, I look good.

01:32 You can't touch my bag, what you could."

01:35 Our story begins in Atlanta, Georgia, where a young Monet found her passion for performance

01:41 early on, gracing holiday play stages and singing in her local church youth choir.

01:46 "I feel like music and performing arts, creative writing was really a great outlet

01:52 for me to express myself.

01:54 And performing really gave me a sense of who I was as a person."

01:58 Transitioning to junior high, she built up her own dance troupe, igniting her love for

02:03 the art even further.

02:05 Determined to pursue her dreams, Monet convinced her family to move to Sacramento, where she

02:10 could fully immerse herself in the art scene at Sheldon High School.

02:13 "I think we should just do what makes us happy.

02:17 Whatever that is, do it.

02:20 Don't stop doing it, do it every day."

02:22 It was there that she discovered a new passion for songwriting, inspired by treating verses

02:26 with her cousin.

02:27 While she initially felt more comfortable as part of a group, whether singing in a choir

02:32 or dancing with others, these experiences helped her develop the skills she needed to

02:36 stand out on her own.

02:37 "I feel like I'm so proud of her being able to come back where she started her dance career,

02:44 which we never knew that she was going to sing.

02:47 Now she came back, she's singing, she's dancing, she's killing it."

02:51 Monet kickstarted her music journey online, sharing tracks on Myspace and catching the

02:56 eye of R&B heavyweight Rodney "Dark Child" Jerkins, known for his work with Aaliyah,

03:01 Brandy, Monica, Jennifer Lopez, Whitney Houston, Destiny's Child, and many others.

03:07 "I got an email from Rodney saying to come audition for this girl group that he was making

03:12 because I had like maybe three songs.

03:13 There was like a little music section on Myspace and you can upload your music."

03:17 After privately messaging Jerkins, she was invited to audition for his new girl group.

03:22 Monet became one-third of the ill-fated Purple Rain.

03:26 Despite having an album ready, the group's dreams were crushed when Motown Records, their

03:31 label, changed hands.

03:32 "I moved like two weeks after making it into the group.

03:33 The group is called Purple Rain and I was in it with girls that ended up being like

03:41 my sisters.

03:42 I love them so much."

03:43 This also marked the end of Monet's collaboration with Jerkins.

03:46 Nevertheless, she credits the group's songwriter, LaShawn Daniels, for helping her fine-tune

03:52 her own songwriting skills.

03:54 So with Purple Rain's, um, reign cut short before it even started, Monet turned to songwriting

04:01 to make ends meet.

04:02 However, it wasn't all bad news.

04:05 Even if it would take a little longer to get into the spotlight, Monet still looks back

04:08 at this period as a life-altering experience since it got her in the room with the right

04:13 people.

04:14 "I didn't have a place to stay and some of the people that helped me along the way

04:19 at those times were the same people that came around and produced a lot of the songs on

04:24 my first EP, Nightmares of Lullaby."

04:26 Not just in the room, but staying at the home of renowned music producer D. Mile while recording

04:31 for what should have been Purple Rain's debut album.

04:35 Known for his work with Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Dirty Money, and others,

04:41 D. Mile became one of Monet's dream collaborators.

04:44 Though it may have seemed like just a fantasy at the time, it would eventually become a

04:48 reality.

04:49 More on that soon.

04:50 "Steering for the party girls, lighting up the world."

04:56 Monet's name may be relatively new to some, but we assure you her talents are not.

05:01 Are you a fan of Blackpink and Selena Gomez's Ice Cream?

05:05 How about Dirty Money's I Hate That You Love Me?

05:08 Or Do It by Chloe X Halley?

05:10 How many times have you listened to Brandy's Rather Be?

05:20 Guess what these songs have in common?

05:21 Yep, they all have writing credits by Monet.

05:25 With an impressive and extensive list of hits already under her belt, it's no surprise

05:29 she's making waves in her own right.

05:32 If you're an R-nator, you should definitely know who she is.

05:35 She's worked closely with Ariana Grande since her 2013 album Yours Truly, and has

05:41 contributed to many others, including the Grammy-nominated Thank U, Next.

05:49 They even co-released a track called Monopoly in 2019, reportedly inspired by Monet's

05:57 dislike for the board game.

05:58 Apparently, Monet turns Grande down whenever she suggests they play.

06:03 So in case it's not obvious, they're not just collaborators, they're what they call

06:07 "soul friends."

06:09 It seems like their close bond is the perfect foundation for creating hits, and clearly

06:14 it's a winning formula.

06:21 After working behind the scenes for roughly 10 years, Monet decided it was time to take

06:25 another shot at the spotlight.

06:34 Collaborating with Grande on Monopoly certainly provided an effective launchpad.

06:38 Still, she's been making waves since her first EP, Nightmares & Lullabies, Act 1, dropped

06:44 in 2014, followed by Act 2 the next year.

06:49 She shared that the title was a reflection of her turbulent journey in the biz so far.

06:53 Monet continued expanding her fanbase by opening for Fifth Harmony and Grande on their tours

06:58 across North America, and she even once joined her "soul friend" in Europe.

07:03 Grande also featured on her song "Better Days," released in 2016 in response to a

07:08 series of events linked to police brutality.

07:20 Then in 2017, Monet released the first part of her EP, Life After Love Part 1, with bops

07:26 like "Do You Like It?" and "Ready."

07:29 Part 2 came out in 2018, promoted by her single "New Love."

07:33 Also, who could overlook this jam from her 2020 Jaguar 1 album?

07:42 Bringing us back to Monet's inaugural Grammy-winning era, she stands out as the second-most nominated

07:48 artist at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in 2024.

07:53 Let's begin with her Record of the Year-nominated track "On My Mama," featured on her Grammy-winning

07:58 album Jaguar 2 and produced by D. Mile.

08:01 Yes, dreams do come true.

08:08 Even former President Obama listed it among his favorite bops of the year.

08:12 The song shows off Monet's skills as a songwriter, singer, and dancer, and it's also inspired

08:18 by her experiences as a new mom.

08:27 In fact, the music video even features her mother and daughter Hazel, who became the

08:31 youngest Grammy nominee ever.

08:45 Beyond motherhood, Monet takes inspiration from artists like Janet Jackson, Destiny's

08:50 Child, Mariah Carey, Brandy, and Alicia Keys.

08:54 They've influenced her music and the legacy she hopes to leave future generations.

08:59 Despite the challenges of releasing Jaguar 1 in 2020 amidst a world at a standstill,

09:04 Monet's talent shined through and scored her new fans.

09:08 With her first album, Jaguar 2, she finds her groove, blending modern R&B with '70s

09:14 soul, while her newfound confidence and allure attract a fresh wave of fans.

09:19 She also draws from Earth, Wind & Fire, who are also featured on her album alongside artists

09:24 like Lucky Day, Buju Banton, and K-Trenada.

09:37 Monet's music is deeply influenced by her culture, defining the voice she wants to share

09:41 with the world.

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09:59 Though Monet is spending more time focusing on her own career, she hasn't completely

10:03 shut the door on writing songs for others.

10:05 However, while she continues to build her own name, her days of songwriting for the

10:09 stars will be taking more of a backseat.

10:12 Still, Monet is reawakening a part of R&B that perhaps we've all slept on for far

10:17 too long.

10:18 Still, we're happy to see that it's getting its revival in such excellent and talented

10:22 hands.

10:23 And we can't wait to watch what this rising star does next.

10:35 When did you first become a Victoria Monet stan?

10:38 Let us know in the comments.

10:39 "When you look at what 'best' means introspectively, I like to say that that

10:44 is what rings true."

10:45 "The music, we got the music.

10:47 Let me just make a song."

10:49 Do you agree with our picks?

10:50 Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the

10:54 bell to be notified about our latest videos.

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