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.
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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?
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