After more than a decade writing songs for other pop stars behind the scenes, the Grammy-winner is at long last having the year she deserves
THE TRUE MARKER OF VICTORIA MONÉT’S skyrocketing fame is not that she sold out her performances at The Roundhouse, but that her enormous audience came dressed in varying shades of chocolate, a tribute to the singer’s favourite colour. We’ve all seen Beyoncé’s stadiums full of cowboy hats and silver glitter on her Renaissance tour or Taylor Swift’s Swifties, with their boho dresses and arms covered in friendship bracelets for Eras. The true sign that you’ve made it is a matching audience.
So when Victoria Monét takes to the stage in a bejewelled two-piece set the colour of a bar of Lindt, it’s clear she’s about to join the ranks of legends who have played the iconic venue, from Amy Winehouse to Jimi Hendrix.
To see the 34-year-old live is to witness a star rising. From the second she launches into Moment, from her debut 2020 EP Jaguar, the crowd is gripped, captivated by her flawless dance moves and smooth vocals. On the balcony sit Flo, the Gen-Z trio renewing our faith in girl groups, clearly entranced. Tucked away in the opposite corner of the venue, Monét’s biggest inspiration, Janet Jackson, quietly watches the show.
‘That was really special,’ Monét says with a smile several days later, while recalling the thrill of performing in front of her hero. Jackson reciprocates the love, posting a picture of the pair on Instagram and wishing Monét, ‘continued success in all that you do’.
It was just one of many ‘pinch-me’ moments since Monét released the second instalment of her Jaguar series last summer. She used the title, inspired by her fascination with Black artistry and political movements of the 1970s, on both releases. ‘It was an era where Black people got a lot of their power back – what Black people experienced in 2020 and everything happening in the world reminded me of that time in history. I wanted my music and visuals to feel reminiscent of that era.’
Monét earned seven Grammy Nominations, including Best New Artist and Record of the Year for the trumpet-heavy smash On My Mama. She went on to win Best New Artist, Best R&B Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for Jaguar II.
Has the magnitude of it all sunk in? ‘Not really. I’m still floating from what feels like a big karmic gift. I would have been just as emotional with one nomination, let alone six more. Everyone that I worked with took a chance on me, because I wasn’t sig
