Victoria Monét: The Life Story Behind the Grammy Winner

Atlanta, Sacramento and a Girl Writing Songs in Her Room

Victoria Monét McCants was born on 10 May 1993 in Atlanta, Georgia, and she was raised in Sacramento, California, where her family moved when she was a child, and she grew up in a household that was, by her own account, musical, with a mother who sang, with a family that valued creativity, and with a childhood that was spent in Sacramento, a city that is, in the 1990s and 2000s, the capital of California, with a culture of hip-hop, of R&B, of soul, and that Victoria absorbed, listening to the radio, to the music that came out of California, from TLC to Destiny’s Child to Beyoncé, and developing a voice, a style, a perspective, that is, in her words, Sacramento, through and through, although her birthplace, Atlanta, is also a part of her identity, a city of music, of history, of Black culture, and that dual identity, Atlanta and Sacramento, is audible in her songs, which mix Southern soul with West Coast polish, and that is a sound that is unmistakably hers. She attended school in Sacramento, sang in the church choir, performed in school musicals, and began writing songs as a teenager, with a directness about love, about desire, about being a young Black woman, that would become her signature, and she has described herself as a child who was obsessed with music, who would write songs in her notebook, who would sing along to the radio, and who dreamed of a career that would take her out of Sacramento, a dream that seemed impossible at the time, because the music industry was far away, in Los Angeles, in New York, and because the girls from Sacramento did not become pop stars, although Victoria, who was determined, who was talented, and who was willing to work, would prove that wrong, in a way that is now well known.

She moved to Los Angeles as a young adult to pursue music, a decision that was difficult, because it meant leaving Sacramento, leaving her family, and starting over in a city where she knew few people, and she has spoken about the loneliness of those years, about working odd jobs, about sleeping on couches, about the determination that kept her going, and about the songs she wrote during that period, which were more honest, more direct, and more personal than anything she had written before, and the move to LA was also a practical one, because the music industry was there, and the opportunities, the studios, the producers, the labels, were there, and she needed to be where the work was, even if it meant starting from scratch, and the experience, which she has described as a test, made her stronger, and it gave her the material for the songs that would eventually make her famous, first as a songwriter, and then, a decade later, as a star in her own right.

The Sacramento of her childhood was also the Sacramento of the early 2000s, a place of hip-hop, of R&B, of a local scene that was vibrant, and Victoria absorbed all of it, performing at school, singing in church, and writing songs that reflected her life, her loves, her frustrations, and that songwriting, which she began as a teenager, became her first career, a career that would last for a decade, before she became famous as a singer, and that is a story that is unusual, because most singers become famous first, and write later, while Victoria wrote first, for other people, and became famous later, for herself, and that reversal, which is the key to understanding her career, is the reason her songs are so well crafted, so precise, so polished, because she learned to write by writing for others, by understanding what a song needs, and by making it work, for a different voice, a different artist, a different audience, and that education, which is practical, not theoretical, is the foundation of her success, as a songwriter, and as a singer.

The Songwriter Years: Ariana Grande and the Behind-the-Scenes Hits

Her first career was as a songwriter, and it was a successful one: she co-wrote songs for Ariana Grande, including Thank U, Next, the title track of Ariana’s 2019 album, 7 Rings, a number-one hit, Monopoly, and NASA, and for Fifth Harmony, including Reflection, and for other artists, including Nas, T.I., and Blackpink, and her work as a songwriter, which was done largely behind the scenes, earned her a reputation as one of the best young writers in pop, with a gift for melody, for hooks, for lyrics that are direct, funny, and, above all, honest, and that reputation, which was built over a decade, from the early 2010s to the late 2010s, made her a sought-after collaborator, with artists asking for her, with producers wanting to work with her, and with a catalogue that, by the time she became famous as a singer, was already impressive, with hits that had topped the charts, with songs that had been streamed billions of times, and with a skill that she had honed, song by song, year by year, and that is a foundation that few singers possess, because most singers do not spend a decade writing for others, before they write for themselves.

She signed to Atlantic Records as a songwriter, and she worked in Los Angeles, in studios, with producers, with artists, learning the craft of songwriting, how to write a hook, how to structure a verse, how to make a chorus, and those lessons, which she learned while still a young woman, made her a professional long before she was a star, and they gave her the skills to make her own records, when the time came, with a confidence, a precision, and a polish that is rare, and that is the reason her solo work, when it finally arrived, felt so complete, so assured, so much like the work of a veteran rather than a debut, because it was, in fact, the work of a veteran, a songwriter with a decade of experience, who was finally singing her own songs, in her own voice, for her own audience, and that is a story that is, by any measure, remarkable, and that is the key to understanding why Jaguar II, when it arrived in 2023, was so good, because it was made by a person who had spent ten years learning how to write a hit, and who was now writing one for herself.

The songwriter years were also the years when she learned about the business, about the importance of publishing, about the value of a song, and about the need to advocate for herself, lessons that she has spoken about with honesty, saying that songwriters are often undervalued, underpaid, and overlooked, and that she learned to fight for her rights, to demand credit, to insist on being paid fairly, and that fight, which is ongoing, is part of why she is respected, not just as a singer, but as a businesswoman, one who understands the industry, and who is willing to stand up for herself, and for other songwriters, and that advocacy, which she has continued as a star, is a legacy that goes beyond music, and that is as important as any song she has written, because it is about fairness, about respect, and about the value of a writer’s work.

Nightmares & Lullabies and the First Solo EPs

Her first solo EP, Nightmares & Lullabies: Act 1, was released in October 2014, a short, intimate collection that she made with little money, recording in a home studio, and releasing it independently, and the EP, which showed a singer with a distinctive voice, a direct songwriting style, and a sound that was soulful, modern, and, above all, honest, caught the attention of listeners who were looking for a new kind of R&B, one that was not polished, not perfect, but real, and the EP’s songs, including Made in China, showed a singer who was already, even then, distinctive, with a voice that was warm, a songwriting that was direct, and a personality that was funny, honest, and unmistakably hers. Act 2 followed in June 2015, with songs like 90’s Babies, a nostalgic track about growing up in the 1990s, and the two EPs, taken together, showed a singer who was developing, who was learning, and who was building a catalogue, slowly, one song at a time, a process that she has described as humbling, and as necessary, because it taught her to write, to record, and to perform, without a label, without a budget, without anyone telling her what to do, and that independence, which is the hallmark of her early solo years, is the reason her music sounds the way it does, intimate, conversational, and, above all, hers.

She continued to release music independently, with singles, with features, and with a growing fanbase, and she performed live, playing small venues in Los Angeles, building a live following one show at a time, and learning to perform for an audience, to hold a stage, to connect with people who had come to see her, lessons that she learned on the road, and that made her a better performer, although her primary income, during those years, came from songwriting, from the hits she wrote for Ariana Grande and others, a fact that she has spoken about with a mixture of pride and frustration, pride that she could write hits, and frustration that her own music was not yet reaching the audience it deserved, a frustration that is common among songwriters who want to be artists, and that she overcame by continuing to write, to record, to perform, and to believe in herself, even when the industry did not, a belief that was eventually rewarded, with Jaguar, and then with Jaguar II, and with the Grammy Awards that followed.

The EPs were also a period of learning about herself, about her sound, about her identity as a singer, not just as a songwriter, and that learning, which was slow, patient, and, at times, painful, is the reason her later work is so assured, so confident, so much like the work of a veteran, because it was made by a person who had spent a decade learning, and who was finally ready, and that readiness, which is the key to her breakthrough, is the reason Jaguar II, when it arrived, felt like an arrival, not a debut, because it was, in fact, the culmination of a decade of work, a decade of writing, a decade of waiting, and that is a story that is, by any measure, remarkable, and that is the key to understanding Victoria Monét, a singer who waited, who worked, and who, when her moment came, was ready.

Life After Love and the Jaguar EP

Life After Love, Pt. 1, released in February 2018, was her next EP, a short collection that showed a singer who was now more confident, more polished, and more direct, with songs like Freak, featuring Ty Dolla $ign, and New Love, and the EP, which was praised by critics for its coherence, its songwriting, and its vocal performances, established her as a solo artist, with a fanbase that was growing, and it set the stage for Pt. 2, released in September 2020, and for the Jaguar EP, released in August 2020, a record that was a turning point, with the singles Moment, a sensual, slow R&B track, Dive, and Jaguar, and the EP, which was a critical success, with reviewers praising her voice, her songwriting, and her personality, established her as a star in waiting, with a sound that was soulful, modern, and, above all, hers, and it gave her a platform, a fanbase, and a momentum that would carry her to Jaguar II, three years later, a record that would make her a Grammy winner, and a household name, at thirty, after a decade in the industry.

The Jaguar EP’s songs, which dealt with love, with desire, with being a young Black woman, with a directness that was new, showed a songwriter who was not afraid to be honest, to be vulnerable, to be funny, and that honesty, which is the hallmark of her music, is the reason the EP connected with so many listeners, because it sounded like a real person singing about real things, not a manufactured star singing about a fantasy, and the EP’s production, which was smooth, with live instruments, with a vocal that was front and centre, reflected that honesty, with a sound that was warm, soulful, and modern, and that is a sound that has become her signature, a R&B that is intimate, conversational, and, above all, real, and that is a legacy that will last, long after the streams have faded, because a good EP, like a good song, does not go out of fashion, and Jaguar is a good EP, by any measure, and it is the foundation of everything that followed, from Jaguar II to the Grammys to Coachella, and that is a story that is, by any measure, remarkable.

She also became a mother during this period, with the birth of her daughter, Hazel Monét Gaines, in February 2021, with her partner, John Gaines, a fitness trainer, and the birth, which she announced on social media, with a post that was joyful, marked a new chapter, motherhood, a role that she has described as transformative, and that changed her music, her priorities, and her view of the world, and that is reflected in her later work, which is more mature, more reflective, and more personal than her earlier work, and that is a sign of an artist who is growing, who is learning, and who is becoming, with each record, more herself, and that growth, which is audible from Jaguar to Jaguar II, is the real story of her career, a story of a young woman who became a mother, a star, and, above all, herself, and that is a story that resonates with a generation of young women who are doing the same thing, right now, all over the world.

Jaguar II, On My Mama and the Breakthrough Album

Jaguar II, her debut studio album, was released in August 2023, and it was a phenomenon, debuting in the top twenty, and producing the single On My Mama, a song that samples Chalie Boy’s I Look Good, with a chorus that is catchy, a vocal that is confident, and a video that is playful, glamorous, and, above all, fun, and the song became a hit on R&B radio, on streaming services, and on social media, where fans shared it as an anthem, and it reached number one on the R&B chart, and it earned her a wider audience, and a Grammy nomination, and the album, which was a long, 11-track collection, with a sound that was soulful, modern, and, above all, hers, was praised by critics for its coherence, its songwriting, and its vocal performances, and it established Victoria as a star, with a fanbase that was loyal, vocal, and growing, and it set the stage for the Grammy Awards that would follow, in February 2024, where she would win three awards, and be nominated for seven, a haul that made her, at thirty, one of the most decorated new artists in Grammy history.

The album’s other songs, including Smoke, featuring Lucky Daye, Alright, and How Does It Make You Feel, showed a range that went from ballads to dance tracks, and the record was praised for its production, which was smooth, with live instruments, with a vocal that was front and centre, and with a sound that was warm, soulful, and modern, and that is a sound that has become her signature, a R&B that is intimate, conversational, and, above all, real, and the album’s success, which was both critical and commercial, is a testament to her talent, her work ethic, and her ability to grow, to change, to evolve, without losing the essence of what made her great, a quality that few artists possess, and that is the reason Jaguar II is still, more than two years later, a standard, a album that other R&B singers cite as an inspiration, and that listeners return to, again and again, because it is complete, because it is honest, and because it is, in a word, hers.

On My Mama deserves a special mention, because it is a song that is almost perfect, with a sample that is catchy, a chorus that is anthemic, a vocal that is confident, and a video that is joyful, and the song’s success, which was driven by radio, by streaming, by social media, and by its adoption as an anthem, made it one of the most played songs of its era, and it remains, more than two years later, a standard, a song that is played on radio, at parties, in cars, and that is a proof that a great song, like a great melody, does not go out of fashion, and that Victoria, who wrote it, understood, better than most, how to make a song that is both simple and profound, and that is the mark of a real songwriter, one who has spent a decade learning her craft, and who is now, finally, singing her own hits, in her own voice, for her own audience, and that is a story that is, by any measure, remarkable.

Seven Grammy Nominations and the Best New Artist Win

At the Grammy Awards in February 2024, Victoria Monét was nominated for seven awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for On My Mama, Album of the Year for Jaguar II, and Best New Artist, and she won three: Best New Artist, Best R&B Album for Jaguar II, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, a haul that made her, at thirty, one of the most celebrated artists of the night, and that established her as a major star, with a voice, a catalogue, and a future that were, in every sense, bright, and the wins, which were announced with a speech that thanked her mother, her daughter, and her team, were a vindication, not just of the album, but of the decade of waiting, of the songwriter years, of the EPs, of the independent releases, and of the decision to keep going, even when the industry did not notice her, a decision that she has described as difficult, but necessary, and that is a lesson for every young artist, that patience, that persistence, is rewarded, eventually, and that is a story that is, by any measure, inspiring, and that is the key to understanding Victoria Monét, a singer who waited, who worked, and who, when her moment came, was ready, and who won, not just awards, but respect, and that respect, which is earned, not given, is the reason her career will last, long after the Grammys have faded, because a Grammy is a moment, but a catalogue is a legacy, and Victoria has a catalogue, and it is growing, with each new song, each new album, each new chapter.

The Best New Artist win was particularly meaningful, because Victoria was thirty years old, a veteran, not a newcomer, and the award, which is usually given to young artists, was, in her case, a recognition of a decade of work, a decade of writing, a decade of waiting, and she acknowledged that in her speech, thanking the songwriters, the mothers, the women who had supported her, and saying that the award was for everyone who had been told they were too old, too late, too behind, a message that resonated with an audience that included many who had felt the same way, and that is a legacy that goes beyond music, and that is as important as any song she has written, because it is about perseverance, about not giving up, and about the belief that talent, when it is real, eventually finds its audience, even if the industry takes years to catch up, and that is a story that is, by any measure, inspiring, and that is the key to understanding why her win was celebrated, not just by her fans, but by the industry, which recognised, in her, a songwriter, a singer, and a star, who had earned it, the long way, and that is a rare thing, and a beautiful thing, and a thing worth celebrating.

She performed at Coachella in April 2024, a performance that was praised for its energy, its choreography, and its star power, and that introduced her to an audience that had never heard her music, and it established her as a live performer of the first rank, with a stage presence that could fill a festival, and the performance, which featured guest appearances, costume changes, and a setlist that mixed her hits, from On My Mama to Moment to Jaguar, was a commercial and critical success, and it showed a performer who was now, at thirty, at the top of her game, with a confidence, a charisma, and a talent that are rare, and that are the reason her career, which began as a songwriter, has become a star’s career, with a future that is as bright as her past, and that is a story that is, by any measure, remarkable, and that is the key to understanding why Victoria Monét, who waited a decade, is now, finally, a star, and why she will remain one, for a long time.

Motherhood, Coachella and the Star She Became

Victoria Monét’s personal life has been as public as her career, and she has spoken about it with a directness that matches her music: she has a daughter, Hazel, born in February 2021, with her former partner, John Gaines, and she has spoken about motherhood as a transformative experience, one that changed her music, her priorities, and her view of the world, and she has also spoken about her sexuality, identifying as bisexual, a disclosure that she made publicly, and that was widely praised, as a statement of honesty, and as a representation for young queer Black women, who rarely see themselves in pop, and that openness, which is rare, is part of why her audience trusts her, because they know that she is telling the truth, and that the truth, however personal, is worth hearing, and that is a model for how a modern artist can be honest about who she is, and still have a career, and still be loved, and that is a legacy that goes beyond music, and that is as important as any song she has written.

Her influence, which is still growing, is that of a singer who has done it the honest way, through talent, patience, and hard work, and who has arrived at a place where she can choose her projects, her collaborators, and her direction, a freedom that she earned over a decade, from Nightmares & Lullabies to Jaguar II to the Grammys, and the fact that she did it without a shortcut, without a viral moment, without a scandal, is the clearest sign that she will last, and she is still based in Los Angeles, still close to her Sacramento roots, still writing, and still performing, and the next chapter, whether it is a new album, a new tour, or a new collaboration, is likely to be as honest as the last, because honesty is the point of her career, and that is a story that resonates with a generation of young artists, who are doing the same thing, right now, on their phones, in their bedrooms, all over the world, and Victoria, who did it first, as a songwriter, is a pioneer, a proof that it is possible, and that is a legacy that goes beyond any single song.

Today Victoria Monét is a Grammy-winning artist, a mother, a songwriter, and a star, still recording, still performing, still writing, and still using her platform to talk about motherhood, about sexuality, and about the realities of being a young Black woman in the music industry, and the fact that she is doing so with the same warmth and the same professionalism that she showed as a twenty-one-year-old with Nightmares & Lullabies suggests that the girl from Sacramento, who wrote songs in her room, is still the foundation of the star. Her story, from a songwriter in Los Angeles to a Grammy winner, to a Coachella headliner, remains one of the most remarkable in modern R&B, and her influence, on music, on songwriting, and on the idea of what a R&B singer can be, is likely to last for a long time.

She performed On My Mama at the Grammy Awards ceremony in February 2024, a performance that was praised for its energy, its choreography, and its star power, and that introduced her to an audience that had never heard her music, and it established her as a live performer of the first rank, with a stage presence that could fill an arena, and the performance, which featured dancers, costume changes, and a setlist that mixed her hits, was a commercial and critical success, and it showed a performer who was now, at thirty, at the top of her game, with a confidence, a charisma, and a talent that are rare, and that are the reason her career, which began as a songwriter, has become a star’s career, with a future that is as bright as her past. She also toured in 2023 and 2024 on The Jaguar II Tour, her first headlining tour, playing theatres and clubs across North America and Europe, with a live show that was intimate, polished, and, above all, hers, and the tour, which sold out, proved that she could headline, that she could hold a room, and that she was, at thirty, a star in the fullest sense, with a voice, a catalogue, and a stage presence that were, in every sense, professional, and that is a legacy that will last, long after the last note has faded, because a tour, like a great album, does not go out of fashion, and The Jaguar II Tour, which is, by any measure, a triumph, is a proof that Victoria Monét is not just a songwriter, but a star, and that is a story that is, by any measure, remarkable.

My Take:

When I listen to Jaguar II now, more than two years after it came out, the thing that still strikes me is how complete it is, how every song, from On My Mama to Smoke to How Does It Make You Feel, feels like it belongs, and how the album’s sound, which is soulful, modern, and, above all, hers, is a perfect summary of Victoria Monét at her peak, a singer who could write a hit, who could sing a ballad, who could make a dance track, and who could do all three on the same record, with a coherence that is rare, and a beauty that is unmatched. The album works because it is a story, the story of a songwriter who became a star, who waited a decade, who wrote hits for others, and who finally wrote one for herself, and every song is a chapter, about love, about motherhood, about being a woman, and the story is true, which is why it connected with audiences who had never been to Sacramento, because patience is a universal story, and Victoria tells it with a directness that is rare in R&B, without ornament, without apology.

On My Mama is the song I would play for someone who wants to understand Victoria Monét in three minutes, because it is a perfect record, with a sample that is catchy, a chorus that is anthemic, a vocal that is confident, and a video that is joyful, and the song’s success, which was driven by radio, by streaming, by social media, and by its adoption as an anthem, made it one of the most played songs of its era, and it remains, more than two years later, a standard, a song that is played on radio, at parties, in cars, and that is a proof that a great song, like a great melody, does not go out of fashion, and that Victoria, who wrote it, understood, better than most, how to make a song that is both simple and profound, and that is the mark of a real songwriter, one who has spent a decade learning her craft, and who is now, finally, singing her own hits.

The songwriter years are the part of her story that I think about most, because they are the foundation of everything that followed, a decade spent writing hits for Ariana Grande, for Fifth Harmony, for others, learning how to write a hook, how to structure a verse, how to make a chorus, and that education, which was practical, not theoretical, made her a professional long before she was a star, and it gave her the skills to make her own records, when the time came, with a confidence, a precision, and a polish that is rare, and that is the reason Jaguar II, when it arrived, felt so complete, so assured, so much like the work of a veteran rather than a debut, because it was, in fact, the work of a veteran, a songwriter with a decade of experience, who was finally singing her own songs, in her own voice, for her own audience, and that is a story that is, by any measure, remarkable.

The Best New Artist win is the moment I admire most, because Victoria was thirty years old, a veteran, not a newcomer, and the award, which is usually given to young artists, was, in her case, a recognition of a decade of work, a decade of writing, a decade of waiting, and she acknowledged that in her speech, thanking the songwriters, the mothers, the women who had supported her, and saying that the award was for everyone who had been told they were too old, too late, too behind, a message that resonated with an audience that included many who had felt the same way, and that is a legacy that goes beyond music, and that is as important as any song she has written, because it is about perseverance, about not giving up, and about the belief that talent, when it is real, eventually finds its audience, even if the industry takes years to catch up.

Moment, from the Jaguar EP, is the track I return to most, because it is a sensual, slow R&B song, with a vocal that is intimate, a production that is smooth, and a lyric that is direct, about desire, about being in the moment, and the song’s success, which was driven by radio, by streaming, and by word of mouth, made it one of her most played songs, and it remains, more than five years later, a standard, a song that is played on radio, at night, in cars, and that is a proof that a great ballad, like a great melody, does not go out of fashion, and that Victoria, who wrote it, understood, better than most, how to make a song that is both simple and profound, and that is the mark of a real songwriter, one who has spent a decade learning her craft, and who is now, finally, singing her own hits, in her own voice, for her own audience.

Her voice deserves a careful description, because it is easy to say that a singer has a good voice and leave it at that, and Victoria Monét’s voice is more specific than that: it is warm, with a slight rasp, it is controlled, with a vibrato that she uses sparingly, it is powerful without being loud, and it is soulful in the way that suggests gospel and church, even when she is singing a pop song. She can sing softly, as on Moment, and she can sing with force, as on On My Mama, and she can do both in the same song, which is the mark of a singer who understands dynamics, and I think her voice will only get better with age, because it is a voice built on technique and on feeling, not on tricks, and the fact that she learned to sing in church, in Sacramento, is audible in every note, because she sings like a person who is communicating, not performing.

The Coachella performance in 2024 is the moment I think best captures her place in R&B, because she shared the stage with a band, with dancers, with a setlist that mixed her hits, and she held her own, singing, dancing, performing, with a presence that reminded the world that she is not a guest in R&B, she is a star, the singer who wrote hits for others, who waited a decade, and who finally won, and the performance, which was watched by millions, was a celebration, not just of Victoria, but of a sound, a culture, a history, and her place in it, which is central, and which is secure, and that is a legacy that few singers achieve, and that is the measure of her greatness, and the reason her career, which began as a songwriter, has become a star’s career, with a future that is as bright as her past.

If a new listener asked me where to start with Victoria Monét, I would begin with Jaguar II, because it is the foundation, with On My Mama, Smoke and How Does It Make You Feel, and then I would go to the Jaguar EP, to hear Moment and Dive, and then to the songs she wrote for Ariana Grande, Thank U, Next and 7 Rings, to hear the songwriter, and those three works, taken together, show the arc, from a songwriter to a star to a Grammy winner, in a way that no single record can. After that I would go to Life After Love, to hear the beginning, and the journey through those works is the journey of a singer who built her career slowly, honestly, and on talent, and that is a journey worth following.

What Victoria Monét has given R&B, beyond the songs, is a reminder that patience is still the most powerful thing a singer can offer, that a voice, well used, is enough, that a song, well written, can find an audience, and that a career, built slowly, on talent and hard work, can last. The R&B of the 2020s is often described as being in trouble, as being overshadowed by hip-hop and pop, and Victoria’s success, with a soulful album, on a respected label, with a Grammy win, is proof that the audience for real R&B singing is still there, and that a singer who respects the genre, who understands its history, can find that audience. I think she will be an important figure in R&B for a long time, not because she is fashionable, but because she is good, and because she is patient, and patience, in music, is the rarest quality of all.

The Sacramento thread runs through everything she does, and I think it is the most important part of her story, because it is not a marketing detail but a real influence. She grew up in Sacramento, she sang in church there, she wrote songs there, she dreamed of a career there, and the city’s sound, its hip-hop, its R&B, its soul, is in every record she has made, from Nightmares & Lullabies to Jaguar II, because she is not inventing a persona, she is reporting a place, and the audience can tell the difference, because the details are specific, the streets are real, the feeling is real, and that is why her work resonates with people who have never been to Sacramento as well as with people who grew up there.

Looking at the whole arc, from a songwriter in Los Angeles to a Grammy winner, I see a career that was built the long way, and I think the long way is the best way, because it produces artists who know what they are doing and why. Victoria Monét spent a decade learning, waiting, writing, singing, and when her moment came, she was ready, with a voice, a catalogue and a professionalism that younger stars often lack, and the result is a debut album, a Grammy win, a Coachella performance, and a future that is entirely hers to shape. I expect her to be making records for many years, and I expect the work to keep getting better, because the foundation, a voice, a discipline and a patience, is solid, and solid foundations last.

The Grammy performance of On My Mama in February 2024 is the live moment I think best captures Victoria Monét, because it is a performance that is energetic, choreographed, and, above all, confident, with dancers, costume changes, and a stage presence that could fill an arena, and it introduced her to an audience that had never heard her music, and it established her as a live performer of the first rank, and the performance, which was praised for its energy, its star power, and its joy, was a commercial and critical success, and it showed a performer who was now, at thirty, at the top of her game, with a confidence, a charisma, and a talent that are rare, and that are the reason her career, which began as a songwriter, has become a star’s career, with a future that is as bright as her past, and that is a legacy that will last, long after the last note has faded, because a great performance, like a great song, does not go out of fashion.

The Jaguar II Tour is the tour I admire most, because it was her first headlining tour, playing theatres and clubs across North America and Europe, in 2023 and 2024, with a live show that was intimate, polished, and, above all, hers, and the tour, which sold out, proved that she could headline, that she could hold a room, and that she was, at thirty, a star in the fullest sense, with a voice, a catalogue, and a stage presence that were, in every sense, professional, and that is a legacy that will last, long after the last note has faded, because a tour, like a great album, does not go out of fashion, and The Jaguar II Tour, which is, by any measure, a triumph, is a proof that Victoria Monét is not just a songwriter, but a star, and that is a story that is, by any measure, remarkable, and that is the key to understanding why her career matters, not just for R&B, but for every songwriter who has ever wanted to be a star, and who was told to wait, and who waited, and who won.

Alright is the track I return to most from Jaguar II, because it is a song that is upbeat, confident, and, above all, fun, with a chorus that is catchy, a vocal that is powerful, and a production that is smooth, and the song’s success, which was driven by radio, by streaming, and by word of mouth, made it one of her most played songs, and it remains, more than two years later, a standard, a song that is played on radio, at parties, in cars, and that is a proof that a great song, like a great melody, does not go out of fashion, and that Victoria, who wrote it, understood, better than most, how to make a song that is both a hit and a statement, and that is a rare talent, and one that deserves respect, even from critics who prefer her ballads, because Alright is, by any measure, a great song, and a great performance, and that is why it works, and why it will last, as a song that is played when people are happy, and that helps them, and that is the highest praise a song can receive.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where was Victoria Monét born?

Victoria Monét was born on 10 May 1993 in Atlanta, Georgia, and she was raised in Sacramento, California, where she sang in the church choir and began writing songs as a teenager.

Which songs did Victoria Monét write for Ariana Grande?

She co-wrote several songs for Ariana Grande, including Thank U, Next, 7 Rings, Monopoly and NASA, during a decade working as a songwriter before her solo breakthrough.

What is Victoria Monét’s debut album called?

Her debut studio album is Jaguar II, released in August 2023, featuring the hit single On My Mama, which samples Chalie Boy’s I Look Good.

How many Grammy Awards did Victoria Monét win in 2024?

She won three Grammy Awards in February 2024, Best New Artist, Best R&B Album for Jaguar II, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, from seven nominations.

What is Victoria Monét’s hit song On My Mama about?

On My Mama, from Jaguar II, is a confident anthem built around a sample of Chalie Boy’s I Look Good, and it reached number one on the R&B chart.

Does Victoria Monét have a daughter?

Yes, her daughter Hazel Monét Gaines was born in February 2021, and Victoria has spoken about motherhood as a transformative experience that changed her music.