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From postpartum workouts to Grammy wins and building her daughter’s brand before preschool, Victoria Monét is proving that motherhood isn’t a setback—it’s the superpower fueling her rise to icon status.
"Maybe there will be a shift where I feel like, let me shelter her a bit more when she can read and is seeing what people are saying,
“I'm now crossing over to the part of the internet where people are mean,” she confesses. “For a lot of my career, it's been people championing me, like, ‘she's an underdog.’ ‘Why doesn't she have more?’ Now I'm crossing over to, ‘oh, she's ugly,’ she says with an unbothered laugh. “Finally, people are saying mean things, but I'm looking at it as a success because everybody that I know who is mega successful has haters. You have to have both. When it's too good, you're like, ‘I haven't reached enough people.’”
to achieve the level of fame she’s presently experiencing, and now that it’s here, the 36-year-old singer-songwriter says she’s “Having a grand old time.”
on February 21, 2021, to Monét and then-boyfriend John Gaines, a fitness coach whose post-baby workouts with the singer were a fan favorite. “I think that I have more confidence now because I know the power within my body,” Monét says of her postpartum wellness journey. “We think about how earth and the universe started as a spark of light; we have that same spark of light when life happens, and that happened inside of me so I'm like, oh, the universe is in me. It's like this whole epiphany of how powerful women are and how powerful community is, and it's really cool also to just be in the gym and building my body back to where I see I’m fit and not being afraid of what people say about showing that. It feels good.”
Monét announced on social media last September that she and Gaines had split back in 2023, but the uncoupled mom and dad remain committed to raising their daughter in a healthy environment.
“I feel honored to have a partner in co-parenting that’s not drama-based,” says Monét. “It's very clean communication. No ill intent. It's been such a blessing, and we wanted to make a pact for each other. If we have things we need to discuss, it's me and you. We don't have to go to the internet. We’re just making it a very mature, seamless situation because Hazel will see it all.
“Also, we have a lot of help,” Monét adds. “My mom comes down often. We have a nanny, so I have no room to complain. People who don't have the support, they're the true single moms. I have to sit in my situation and really be thankful because as a co-parent, you can easily be spiteful. You can be like, ‘I'm not watching her today. You figure it out. It's your day.’ So I really have just been so blessed and so thankful to have the community that I have helping, and Hazel loves it.”
That reality is what inspired Monét to write her forthcoming children’s book, Everywhere You Are, set for release on June 24 and currently available for pre-order in English and Spanish. “The book is really about empowering women or caregivers to feel free to go and do their thing but also know that they gave the message to their children and their loved ones that even when I'm away from you, I still am here with you. It reminds me a lot of God,” says Monét. “It's like the message with God is even though you can't see me, I'm still with you, guiding you in your heart. I feel like that's motherhood. It takes on a lot of what you feel with God.”
As for her romantic life, Monét says openly, “I'm not dating anyone, but I would like to date.” Time apart from Hazel may not present many logistical challenges for Monét, thanks to her tribe, but it’s still an emotional hurdle and one she was grateful not to have to battle the day of our mother-daughter shoot. “I like days like this because she's at work with me, so it's like my heart, it's together. Usually, it's in two places. When I'm at work, it's with her and then when I'm with her, I'm like, ‘ah, I’ve got this work to do.’”
This chapter of Monét’s career is one that many warned her wouldn’t be possible as a mother. Seeing her fame and recognition rise following the birth of her daughter has been more than vindicating; it has given Monét a new purpose.
“The most success I've ever had came after Hazel, which I did not have in my bingo cards at all so it's really amazing,” she says. “I want to be an example for anybody who's thinking about it but is in the middle of their career and they're trying to contemplate whether they can do it. The answer is yes, you can, with a lot of hard work and a lot of support and tapping people in to help you. It's going to take a lot of curation, but can you do it? Yeah. Why? Because you're a woman.”
She also has an unspecified product line that she cannot discuss in detail, except to say it is in its early stages. “The idea is Beyoncé, Rihanna, mogul, acting, skincare, beauty, clothing, all of it. I'm working on something currently,” she teases. “You can refer to this video in two years.”
Monét’s attention is currently being pulled in several directions as the entertainer sets her sights on becoming a full-on mogul. “I want to get on the big screen,” she says unabashedly. “I want to do it in multiple ways, whether it's a series or in a movie, but also in the music for it and writing it.”
And of course, there’s new music to come following her latest collab with Davido, “Offa me.” The new album might even feature a familiar tiny voice.
“[Hazel] does love Afrobeats and she's been in the studio with me, actually,” says Monét. “She's freestyling on beats and into it so she's going to be my A&R at least, executive producer, something.”
Monét added words of encouragement: “I wouldn't count out the days where you're just weeping and crying. I wouldn't count out the days that you feel defeated. They end and then the sun comes out like it's summertime, and then you look back and you're like, ‘I did it.’”
to achieve the level of fame she’s presently experiencing, and now that it’s here, the 36-year-old singer-songwriter says she’s “Having a grand old time.”
Never far behind is daughter Hazel, 4, who appeared on Monét’s seven-time Grammy nominated album Jaguar II which launched her into the mainstream zeitgeistafter more than a decade of penning songs for artists like Ariana Grande, Nas, and Chloe x Halle, and building a personal fanbase with early projects such as Nightmares & Lullabies and Life After Love. Just in the past two years, Monét has won three Grammys, two Soul Train Music Awards, and two BET Awards, but there’s another, more subtle indicator Monét sees as a sign that her time has arrived.
“I'm now crossing over to the part of the internet where people are mean,” she confesses. “For a lot of my career, it's been people championing me, like, ‘she's an underdog.’ ‘Why doesn't she have more?’ Now I'm crossing over to, ‘oh, she's ugly,’ she says with an unbothered laugh.“Finally, people are saying mean things, but I'm looking at it as a successbecause everybody that I know who is mega successful has haters. You have to have both. When it's too good, you're like, ‘I haven't reached enough people.’”
Monét’s ever-growing reach is undeniable; her Jaguar II tour sells out across North America in a matter of minutes and brings out stars such as Kelly Rowland, Issa Rae, Zendaya, and Justin Bieber to shows—names Hazel likely wouldn’t bat an eye at around the Monét household.
“I'm now crossing over to the part of the internet where people are mean,” she confesses. “For a lot of my career, it's been people championing me, like, ‘she's an underdog.’ ‘Why doesn't she have more?’ Now I'm crossing over to, ‘oh, she's ugly,’ she says with an unbothered laugh.“Finally, people are saying mean things, but I'm looking at it as a successbecause everybody that I know who is mega successful has haters. You have to have both. When it's too good, you're like, ‘I haven't reached enough people.’”
“I'm now crossing over to the part of the internet where people are mean,” she confesses. “For a lot of my career, it's been people championing me, like, ‘she's an underdog.’ ‘Why doesn't she have more?’ Now I'm crossing over to, ‘oh, she's ugly,’ she says with an unbothered laugh.“Finally, people are saying mean things, but I'm looking at it as a successbecause everybody that I know who is mega successful has haters. You have to have both. When it's too good, you're like, ‘I haven't reached enough people.’”
“Maybe there will be a shift where I feel like, let me shelter her a bit more when she can read and is seeing what people are saying, so she’s not internalizing too much of other people's opinions, but for now, it feels pretty innocent.
“I’m just excited,” Monét gushes. “This is the best thing I've ever made. So I'm like, ‘look, everyone. Look what she's doing.’ I also feel like in business, she's already a brand. She's the youngest Grammy nominee. She's singing, she's dancing. So to give her a leg up, introducing her to the world and establishing her brand from a business perspective would help her later,” the proud mom adds. “I don't know what the right answer is, and [social media’s] definitely a weird, dangerous place. But I think while I have control over it, she's got a safety net, so I'm okay with sharing for now.”
“Maybe there will be a shift where I feel like, let me shelter her a bit more when she can read and is seeing what people are saying, so she’s not internalizing too much of other people's opinions, but for now, it feels pretty innocent.
“I’m just excited,” Monét gushes. “This is the best thing I've ever made. So I'm like, ‘look, everyone. Look what she's doing.’ I also feel like in business, she's already a brand. She's the youngest Grammy nominee. She's singing, she's dancing. So to give her a leg up, introducing her to the world and establishing her brand from a business perspective would help her later,” the proud mom adds. “I don't know what the right answer is, and [social media’s] definitely a weird, dangerous place. But I think while I have control over it, she's got a safety net, so I'm okay with sharing for now.”
Monét announced on social media last September that she and Gaines had split back in 2023, but the uncoupled mom and dad remain committed to raising their daughter in a healthy environment.
“I feel honored to have a partner in co-parenting that’s not drama-based,” says Monét. “It's very clean communication. No ill intent. It's been such a blessing, and we wanted to make a pact for each other. If we have things we need to discuss, it's me and you. We don't have to go to the internet. We’re just making it a very mature, seamless situation because Hazel will see it all.
“Also, we have a lot of help,” Monét adds. “My mom comes down often. We have a nanny, so I have no room to complain. People who don't have the support, they're the true single moms. I have to sit in my situation and really be thankful because as a co-parent, you can easily be spiteful. You can be like, ‘I'm not watching her today. You figure it out. It's your day.’ So I really have just been so blessed and so thankful to have the community that I have helping, and Hazel loves it.”
As for her romantic life, Monét says openly, “I'm not dating anyone, but I would like to date.” Time apart from Hazel may not present many logistical challenges for Monét, thanks to her tribe, but it’s still an emotional hurdle and one she was grateful not to have to battle the day of our mother-daughter shoot. “I like days like this because she's at work with me, so it's like my heart, it's together. Usually, it's in two places. When I'm at work, it's with her and then when I'm with her, I'm like, ‘ah, I’ve got this work to do.’”
That reality is what inspired Monét to write her forthcoming children’s book, Everywhere You Are, set for release on June 24 and currently available for pre-order in English and Spanish. “The book is really about empowering women or caregivers to feel free to go and do their thing but also know that they gave the message to their children and their loved ones that even when I'm away from you, I still am here with you. It reminds me a lot of God,” says Monét. “It's like the message with God is even though you can't see me, I'm still with you, guiding you in your heart. I feel like that's motherhood. It takes on a lot of what you feel with God.”
Monét’s attention is currently being pulled in several directions as the entertainer sets her sights on becoming a full-on mogul. “I want to get on the big screen,” she says unabashedly. “I want to do it in multiple ways, whether it's a series or in a movie, but also in the music for it and writing it.”
She also has an unspecified product line that she cannot discuss in detail, except to say it is in its early stages. “The idea is Beyoncé, Rihanna, mogul, acting, skincare, beauty, clothing, all of it. I'm working on something currently,” she teases. “You can refer to this video in two years.”
And of course, there’s new music to come following her latest collab with Davido, “Offa me.” The new album might even feature a familiar tiny voice.
“[Hazel] does love Afrobeats and she's been in the studio with me, actually,” says Monét. “She's freestyling on beats and into it so she's going to be my A&R at least, executive producer, something.”
This chapter of Monét’s career is one that many warned her wouldn’t be possible as a mother. Seeing her fame and recognition rise following the birth of her daughter has been more than vindicating; it has given Monét a new purpose.
“The most success I've ever had came after Hazel, which I did not have in my bingo cards at all so it's really amazing,” she says. “I want to be an example for anybody who's thinking about it but is in the middle of their career and they're trying to contemplate whether they can do it.
The answer is yes, you can, with a lot of hard work and a lot of support and tapping people in to help you. It's going to take a lot of curation, but can you do it? Yeah. Why? Because you're a woman.”
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to achieve the level of fame she’s presently experiencing, and now that it’s here, the 36-year-old singer-songwriter says she’s “Having a grand old time.” Never far behind is daughter Hazel, 4, who appeared on Monét’s seven-time Grammy nominated album Jaguar II which launched her into the mainstream zeitgeist aftermore than a decade of penning songs for artists like Ariana Grande, Nas, and Chloe x Halle, and building a personal fanbase with early projects such as Nightmares & Lullabies and Life After Love. Just in the past two years, Monét has won three Grammys, two Soul Train Music Awards, and two BET Awards, but there’s another, more subtle indicator Monét sees as a sign that her time has arrived.
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Yet it kind of is for a toddler who’s already walked (or been carried across) major red carpets and made history as the youngest ever Grammy nominee for her feature on Jaguar II’s “Hollywood,” the song title perhaps a foreshadowing of her future following in her mother’s famous footsteps. There’s a bit of strategy behind Monét’s decision to bring her daughter into the public eye, though she admits overall, “I'm kind of winging it.”
Monét’s ever-growing reach is undeniable; her Jaguar II tour sells out across North America in a matter of minutes and brings out stars such as Kelly Rowland, Issa Rae, Zendaya, and Justin Bieber to shows—names Hazel likely wouldn’t bat an eye at around the Monét household.
“There's a video I posted not long ago of her singing the battle cry note from Wicked and right after she goes, ‘can you send that to Cynthia Erivo?’ I was like, ‘yeah, I can.’ She was like, ‘well, send it,’ and I was like, ‘oh my God, Hazel, this is not normal.’”
Pre-order Victoria’s book, “Everywhere You Are” here.
so she’s not internalizing too much of other people's opinions, but for now, it feels pretty innocent.
“I’m just excited,” Monét gushes. “This is the best thing I've ever made. So I'm like, ‘look, everyone. Look what she's doing.’ I also feel like in business, perspective would help her later,” the proud mom adds. “I don't know what the right answer is, and [social media’s] definitely a weird, dangerous place. But I think while I have control over it, she's got a safety net, so I'm okay with sharing for now.”
“Maybe there will be a shift where I feel like, let me shelter her a bit more when she can read and is seeing what people are saying, so she’s not internalizing too much of other people's opinions, but for now, it feels pretty innocent.
“The most success I've ever had came after Hazel, which I did not have in my bingo cards at all so it's really amazing,” she says. “I want to be an example for anybody who's thinking about it but is in the middle of their career and they're trying to contemplate whether they can do it.