The 2024 Grammys were a huge night for R&B singer and songwriter Victoria Monét. With seven nominations, Monét took home three awards — Best Non-Classical Engineered Album, Best New Artist, and Best R&B Album for her debut album, Jaguar II. After her moving acceptance speech for Best New Artist, the internet exploded with inspiration after hearing of Monét’s journey.
“This award was a 15-year pursuit,” Monét said. “I moved to L.A. in 2009 and I like to liken myself to a plant who was planted… My roots have been growing underground for so long, and I feel like today I’m sprouting.” After its release in August 2023, Victoria Monét’s album Jaguar II was her first project to be recognized mainstream despite her solo career beginning in 2014.
Victoria Monét started gaining traction in the industry as a star-studded songwriter with writing credits on hits like Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” and Chloe x Halle’s “Do It.” But what a lot of people don’t know is that Monét was working hard toward her own solo dreams behind the scenes. In 2009, Victoria moved to Los Angeles to be a member of a then-upcoming girl group, Purple Reign, that was started by producer Darkchild. When plans for the group fell through, Monét turned to songwriting as her main endeavor while she worked on solo projects on the side.
From Blackpink to Fifth Harmony, Victoria Monét’s pen was a helping hand in the creation of many hits that fans know today. But when was it ever gonna be Monét’s turn? In June 2023, Victoria released “On My Mama,” which samples the 2009 hit “I Look Good” by Chalie Boy. This nostalgic-yet-modern song exploded on the internet, not only for its catchy chorus but for its message. In an interview with Apple Music, Monét said she wrote the song after experiencing postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Hazel Monét, in 2021. Monét said she wanted to create a song that not only spoke light into her listeners, but herself. It’s safe to say this song was received well, considering its 2024 Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Best R&B song.
Many fans expressed gratitude to Monét following her successful Grammy’s night. Many commented on her story being an inspiration for others to never give up, despite how long the path to success may be. In modern day society, there is always a rush to be successful quickly, specifically at a young age. But at age 34, Victoria has broken those norms by proving that it doesn’t matter how long it takes and how old you are, you can still achieve your dreams.
For Victoria Monét, this is just the beginning. For anyone else out there who may feel like it’s taking a while to see the results they want, look to artists like Victoria Monét for inspiration.