Victoria Monét’s breakout story, rise to R&B superstardom, songwriting for stars like Ariana Grande and a review of album, JAGUAR II
Victoria Monét personifies what R&B at its best is. R&B music has always been a haven for unique voices and songwriting talents. Among R&B’s contemporary voices, Victoria Monét is its latest golden child. Through the combination of a beautifully sultry-silken vocal tone, impeccable songwriting skills, and electrifying performances, Monét has captivated R&B audiences across the world. Victoria Monet’s path to the success of JAGUAR II has been an inspiring story of consistent exceptionalism, hard work and perseverance. Steadily working away in the shadows and powering the success of other artists, it’s finally Victoria Monet’s moment.
Who is Victoria Monét?
Born on May 1, 1989, in Georgia, Victoria Monét McCants, known professionally as Victoria Monet, is a multi-talented singer-songwriter. Her journey began at a young age when she was drawn to the magic of music. She honed her craft and began her career as a performing artist.
But Monet’s career took off when she started collaborating with some of the biggest names in music. Through songwriting and producing, she collaborated on chart-topping projects for Ariana Grande, Brandy, Selena Gomez, Fifth Harmony, Chloe x Halle and more. Moreover, her ability to infuse genuine emotion and unique musicality resonated deeply with these artists and fans. As a result, Victoria Monét solidified her reputation as a go-to songwriter for impactful hits.
Victoria Monet: songwriting credits and career
Monét has a unique ear for musicality, driven by live instrumentation, as well as a pen with a natural flair for writing earworms. This songwriting prowess led her into a successful Pop songwriting career. In 2009, she left a girl group, Purple Reign, formed by legendary R&B producer, Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins and decided to focus on a solo career. Monét shared that she watched Bruno Mars’ career pop off due to his feature on B.O.B’s Nothin on You in 2010. It inspired her to write hooks for other artists as Bruno’s career became a case study that a great feature can launch / accelerate an artist’s career.
So she channeled this into writing the best hooks she could for other artists, hoping that she’d land a feature and not just a songwriting credit. Speaking to Earth, Wind and Fire, she shared, “I would try to sing them so well that they wouldn’t take me off and replace it with another artist, and sometimes it would work”. This was the beginning of a successful songwriting career.
Victoria Monet’s friendship with Ariana Grande
As her reputation grew, Victoria Monet connected with her famed collaborator and friend, Ariana Grande. They collaborated on hits like, Grammy-nominatedThank U, Next and7 Rings, showcasing Monet’s knack for crafting catchy melodies and relatable lyrics. The two built a great friendship, with Victoria opening on tour for Ariana.
“We spent a lot of time together. I think the first time I remember being becoming close and having deeper conversations than just you know, in a song space, was on a tour. The tour before I opened for her, I came to a show I think it was in Pittsburgh, and she was like, she’s just very friendly, and she’s like, why don’t you guys just come to the next show or just hop on the bus and stay.“
Her work with Brandy on the album, B7 demonstrated her ability to tap into the essence of an artist’s identity, delivering songs that resonate with authenticity. On Selena Gomez’s Rare, her songwriting contributions added depth to the album.
JAGUAR
In 2020, Victoria Monét began recentering her artist persona unveiling her acclaimed album, JAGUAR. The album was a testament to her evolution as an artist, featuring a fusion of R&B, 70s Funk / Soul and Jazz instrumentation influences with a pop flair. On tracks like Moment, Ass Like That and Jaguar, Monet showcases an ability to blend sultry vocals with live instrumentation to create a sonic landscape that is fun yet musically rich. JAGUAR recalls the glossy Motown-style Soul of the 70s with a contemporary flair. It received critical acclaim for its innovative production, cohesive storytelling, and Monet’s undeniable ability to craft a bop.
Victoria Monét, the performer
But key to Victoria Monet’s rise has been her becoming famed for brilliant live performances. Victoria Monét’s live performances bring back the days of superstar live performers like the Jackson 5 who were both great singers and dancers. Everytime Victoria Monét takes the stage, she looks and sounds amazing, perfectly delivering dynamic choreo. Her stage presence is confident, emotive and yes, sexy. The kind of performer you can’t look away from for a moment. From 2021 – 2022, her performances at the BET Awards, Made in America festival and other festivals got rave reviews, even generating viral moments on TikTok.
Victoria Monét furthermore, took the internet by storm with a viral dance breakdown that gained massive popularity on TikTok. The sound has for the dance breakdown has been used 70 000x on the app. R&B has a superstar performer of a calibre it feels like we haven’t seen in a while.
Victoria Monet’s Moment: On My Mama video
2023 has been a monumental one for Victoria Monet, building on the momentum from 2021-22. Her Spotify First Nights headline show in early 2023 further cemented her status as a force to be reckoned with. Collaborations with Bryson Tiller, Lucky Daye, and Buju Banton demonstrated her versatility and ability to seamlessly merge her style with other artists.
As part of her promo run ahead of her album JAGUAR II, she released the infectious horn-led headnodder, On My Mama. The song is certainly a contender for R&B song of summer 2023. The music video forOn My Mama became one of 2023’s musical highlights, trending on Twitter and YouTube. Social media went wild for days raving about the looks, Sean Bankhead choreography and the 00s influences.
It was a perfectly-timed fever pitch moment for the release of JAGUAR II. The world was now eagerly waiting for the album due Friday 25 August. And as expected, JAGUAR II delivered.
JAGUAR II
Building on the sound of JAGUAR, Victoria Monét is captivating the music world with her 2023 release, JAGUAR II. The album retains the signature elements that made JAGUAR compelling, while also pushing the boundaries of her sound further. With singles like On My Mama and Party Girls, Monét displayed her ability to navigate different musical styles. She effortlessly transitions from introspective ballads to infectious, upbeat tracks.
JAGUAR II is a refreshing listen that fine tunes and elevates the Motown-inspired sound of JAGUAR. The album is led by plush live arrangements and shimmering production flourishes. The album feels classic but with an edge of futurism. The JAGUAR II sound crafted by longtime collaborator and Executive Producer, D Mile and Victoria Monet is an extension of D Mile’s signature on projects like the Silk Sonic. Drawing from funk, disco and 70s Soul, it’s a sound that’s slick, plush and sexy. But it’s also fun, diverse and personal.
Moreover, JAGUAR II packs in a load of highlight moments. Hollywood, a featuring Earth, Wind & Fire (and Victoria’s daughter, Hazel), as well as, Alright a thumping dance groove produced by KAYTRANADA. Cadillac (A Pimp’s Anthem) sounds smooth and luxurious like a glass of champagne. Furthermore, the track employs the brilliant use of horns like we saw on On My Mama. How Does It Make You Feel slows down the tempo for one of the album’s most singalong ready moments. For 35 minutes, JAGUAR II offers a rich listening experience that’s very diverse but extremely cohesive. Only wish is that it went on a bit longer.
JAGUAR II is Pop R&B / Soul at its finest – fun and accessible yet original with musical range. It solidifies Victoria Monét’s place as one of contemporary R&B’s vanguard voices.
The next chapter: global superstardom
Victoria Monét’s journey from aspiring artist to sought after songwriter to being celebrated for her artistry has been a remarkable one. She has earned her well-deserved breakout moment. With her international tour selling out in minutes and conversation about JAGUAR II taking over Twitter, Monét appears to be on the path to mega stardom. The moment has been over a decade in the making but that only makes her triumph sweeter.
