Victoria Monet came close to quitting music.
The songwriter has penned huge hits for the likes of Ariana Grande, Blackpink, and Fifth Harmony, but when it came to her own music, she struggled to gain any real traction, until her 2023 debut album ‘Jaguar II’, featuring the hit single ‘On My Mama’, which is nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
The 34-year-old star is nominated for a further six prizes at this weekend’s ceremony, including Best New Artist.
She told Variety magazine of her start in music: “At the time, I questioned it so much: Like, what is it about me that’s so lacklustre? Why aren’t people seeing me? It was even to the point where I would sing demos and try to sound really great so rappers would keep me on the hook.
“I feel like maybe even that is a part of what was so hard. I had something to prove. It wasn’t just handed to me.
“So it’s all a part of why I think things are coming to fruition now: It’s just time. It’s almost like, ‘Alright, girl — you didn’t give up. We’re going to give you something.’”
The chart-topping star also admitted she considered not coming out as bisexual because she feared it would be another “struggle”, along with being Black, that would hold her back.
She admitted: “I thought that conforming would make me go further.
“Being picturesque, straight… It almost felt like you didn’t want to add any more [weight] to your ankles trying to win a race. It’s like, ‘You’re already a woman, you’re already Black — you’d better pick a struggle.’”