FEATURE: Modern-Day Queens: Victoria Monét

FEATURE:

Modern-Day Queens

Victoria Monét

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BECAUSE the supreme…

PHOTO CREDIT: Dalvin Adams

Victoria Monét is playing some U.K. dates next month, I wanted to include her in this Modern-Day Queens. The Atlanta-born artist released the single, Let Me, last month. JAGUAR II was the debut studio album from Monét. It followed the 2020 E.P., JAGUAR. There was an expanded edition of JAGUAR II. However, there is a new album coming along soon. I did want to highlight this incredible artist, as she has a sound that is like nothing else. I feel she possesses one of the best voices in modern music. I will get to a recent interview from NME. However, before getting there, there are a couple of other interviews and features worth highlighting. Earlier in the year, at the Black Music Action Coalition Grammy Event, Victoria Monét discussed mentorship and nepotism in the music industry:

“The Black Music Action Coalition’s Grammy Week parties are always stylish events for a good cause, bringing out major stars and up-and-coming artists and many of the top executives in the music business. Wednesday night’s event at Sun Rose in Hollywood.

The evening, honoring the influence of hitmakers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis on contemporary music, was hosted by the pair in associated with Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Victoria Monet, and also featured the presentation of the first-ever BMAC Music Maker Impact Award to Culture Collective founder Jonathan Azu, recognizing his leadership and commitment to advancing long-term music careers.

The ace house band, led by Adam Blackstone, set the soundtrack for the evening, and a highlight was multiple Grammy winner Jon Batiste sitting in with some dazzling jazzy piano soloing.

However, a highlight was a measured but provocative speech from Monet about mentorship, nepotism and gatekeeping in the music industry. It follows below in full.

“Good evening. It is such an honor to be in a room with people who believe in the power of music, not just as entertainment, but as a force of connection, healing, culture, and opportunity.

As a musician, I’ve learned that talent alone is not what carries you through the music industry. Talent is everywhere. What truly makes a difference is access, and more specifically, mentorship. Having that someone who sees you, who believes in you, who’s willing to share not just their wisdom, but their pathways to success.

But I also want to talk about two other layers of this industry. Those two things are gatekeeping and nepotism. So let me define both clearly. Gatekeeping is when individuals or groups control access to opportunities, information, or resources, deciding who gets in, who gets heard, and who gets supported.

Nepotism is a practice of favoring relatives or close personal connections, especially in hiring, promotions, or opportunities, and sometimes regardless of merit. The truth is, the music industry exercises both.

But I feel like instead of asking, how do we eliminate gatekeeping and nepotism, because realistically power structures will always exist, I would want to ask, how do we use them responsibly?

Gatekeeping is not necessarily negative. Nepotism is not inherently negative either. It depends on who and how they are used. They become harmful when they are exercised selfishly or to preserve comfort instead of cultivating excellence.

Put yourself in positions of influence, creative, financial, cultural, not just to advance your own career, but to become a bridge for others. Be discerning, yes, have standards, absolutely. But when you see someone who is talented, aligned, hardworking, and deserving, open the door.

I want to encourage everyone in this room to do something that we all have the power to do, and that is to use our access intentionally. Be the person who says, “I’ll make the introduction, I’ll pass your name, I’ll advocate for you when you’re not in the room, I’ll give you a shot because I recognize your potential and your hard work.”

The goal is ethical gatekeeping and purpose-driven nepotism. That is mentorship in action, and BMAC is a perfect conduit to exercise this type of Black excellence.

Because one of the most powerful things we can do in this industry is to remember that we didn’t get here alone. Someone answered a call, someone took a meeting, someone shared information that they didn’t have to share anymore. And the legacy we leave will not be defined solely on our accolades, our streams, or our credits, but by who we helped rise alongside us.

Let the frequency of music resonate. My hope is that we don’t just chase success, but we circulate it.

I also want to take this time to acknowledge a duo that proves this concept seamlessly, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, whose legacy goes far beyond iconic records. Their commitment to excellence, integrity, and lifting others as they climb sets the standard for what true leadership in music looks like. Welcome to the stage, Jimmy Jam”.

I do want to go back to last year before bringing things up to date. Not only is Victoria Monét one of the best artists in the world. She is this incredible stylish and fashionable figure for many. Individual and distinct, she is ever-evolving. There is careful craft behind it. I do want to drop in a bit of the interview with InStyle, as it is quite illuminating. Revealing new sides to the brilliant Victoria Monét:

“Victoria Monét may have taken home the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2024, but she has a long history in the music business. Over the past decade, the 35-year-old R&B singer has been releasing music while writing for singers like Ariana Grande, Jhené Aiko, and Brandy. But the release of her 2023 single On My Mama and the subsequent album JAGUAR II catapulted Monét to stardom—an achievement she had spent her whole life working toward.

Beyond her music, Monét has always been mindful of her image and how it shapes her public persona. As a little girl, watching movies and musicals sparked Monét's love for the glamour of celebrity. She takes a lot of inspiration from her favorite movie stars—like Halle Berry in Introducing Dorthy Dandridge (1999). "Her beauty just enamored me," Monét tells InStyle. "It always seemed like she didn't need to do too much to seem very elegant and timeless but also somewhat natural." She took these early lessons to heart, carefully crafting her image to match each stage of her career. Currently, she's in her JAGUAR era. Bombshell waves, sleek updos, and soft-glam makeup are go-to's as part of her highly-curated presentation.

"When I think of myself, even though it's kind of an unnatural thought, I think of a product—it's about consistency," says Monét. "Every time you pick up a Coke, you want it to taste the same. You want to make sure the packaging is recognizable, and the taste is consistent. That's what I've tried to do in each micro era of the rollout of JAGUAR, just making sure that people understand when they come to my brand, they know what to expect."

In the new Hulu x Sephora three-part docuseries Faces of Music, Monét delves further into her relationship with beauty and its deep connection to music. Along with Chappell Roan and Becky G, she explores the inspiration behind some of their most iconic beauty looks. Here, InStyle chatted with Monét to learn more about her beauty influences and the ins and outs of her routine.

On Her Mama

"While Monét was drawn to Hollywood glamour, she also observed how beauty impacted the women around her. 'Watching my mom, I saw how transformative beauty can be — how she walks differently and holds her head higher when she feels beautiful,' Monét reflects. Her mom also instilled in her the importance of a nighttime beauty routine. 'She’d put rollers in her hair, brush her teeth, and apply Pond's Beauty Cream,' Monét recalls. 'It was all about those old-school remedies, the way you should sleep to wake up beautiful.'"

On Hairstyling

Monét is a big fan of experimenting with her hair, constantly changing the color, texture, and length. She typically gravitates toward lighter shades. "I've always wanted lighter hair, so I’ve gone through a bunch of phases of lightening it a little bit," she says. She used to get sew-ins and lighten her leave-out to match, but recently, she’s turned to wigs. "Using wigs has allowed me to experiment more without having to dye my own hair," she says.

Colors that deliver "sun-kissed drama," like honey blondes and caramels, are her go-to shades. However, she’s not afraid to mix it up with other colors. "For this past Fashion Week in Milan, my hair went from black to a gingery red and back to ombré blondes," she says”.

I will wrap up with a new chat from NME. As she has an album coming soon, Victoria Monét spoke with NME about her music and her upcoming stadium tour with Bruno Mars. A lodestar to her, they have this history. Labelmates back in 2013, he was a guiding light to her. A prolific and acclaimed songwriter, Monét worked on multiple Ariana Grande albums. With new music coming later this year, it is a perfect time to catch up with a stunning artist:

“Today, Monét describes her awards success as a “paradigm shift” that gave her a cruel taste of tall poppy syndrome. “Something interesting happened,” she says, “where my social media [comments] went from ‘we love you, you’re the underdog’, to, like, ‘Why does she get the Grammy? She’s too old, she’s not even a new artist.'” Monét was only 34 at the time, but her 15 years of climbing the industry ladder gave her perspective. “I was like, ‘Of course this happened to you, because you worked really hard and just didn’t stop,'” she recalls.

“People think I’m seated with my legs crossed, holding a cocktail. But I’ve been working really, really hard”

Gripes from ageist haters also galvanised her long-term ambition. “Even though I showed why I deserved the Grammy before, I also have to show why I deserve it after – for the people who didn’t think it should be mine,” she says. She made a conscious decision to put some clear water between ‘Jaguar II’, which she expanded in 2024 with a deluxe edition and the festive spin-off ‘A Jaguar II Christmas: The Orchestral Arrangements’, and her currently untitled second album era.

“There’s something nice about going against the grain and not putting something out so fast,” she explains, “because you may be doing it out of spite, or putting something out that feels unnatural to you, just based on what the world is expecting of you as an artist. I feel completely like this is a new chapter. I’ve untethered myself from that [‘Jaguar II’] frequency.”

When the new record eventually drops, fans will be given more insight into Monét’s personal life via an as-yet-untitled song she describes as “very anthemic”. “It’s about my relationship status, pretty much, [having] the freedom to explore and meet new people guilt-free,” she says. Though Monét’s decision not to rush her new album rollout is an artistic one, she admits she did sometimes feel “a bit guilty for quote-unquote ‘going away'”.

I am going to end there. It will be exciting hearing a new album from Victoria Monét. I really loved JAGUAR II, so I will definitely check out her next album. Monét is also a trained chef. Last month, she graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE). That has launched the careers of 20,000 hospitality professionals since 1975. This multifaceted queen, we do need to treasure Victoria Monét. If you are slightly new to her music or do not know much, then I would strongly encourage you to do some digging and find out more about…