Victoria Monét opened up to PEOPLE about her upcoming project, ‘Jaguar II’.Photo:Foxxatron
Foxxatron
Becoming a mother has made everything feel “brand new” forVictoria Monét— because in her daughter’s eyes, it is.
In between her breakthrough 2020 EPJaguarand next month’s long-awaited follow-upJaguar II, Monétwelcomed her first childHazel in February 2021. She may not have realized it at the time, but Monét was also welcoming her biggest fan, and as she explains to PEOPLE before the release of her new project, a little “A&R” who isn’t afraid to share some music advice with her mom.
While she was piecing together her upcoming album, Monét even played Hazel her lead single “Smoke," which was an instant hit on car rides. “Smoke” — a ‘70s inspired cut all about lighting one up, and featuring a guest appearance from Lucky Daye — also reminded her that maybe Hazel could use a “Kidz Bop” version or two.
“When I took her to this restaurant, we had gotten out of the car and she was in her stroller and she was trying to tell me, ‘I want to go back in the car and listen to Smoke.’ But she was saying, ‘Mommy, let’s go smoke. Go smoke.’ I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this sounds terrible to everyone right now,’” Monét laughs. “I just had to give everyone a disclaimer like, ‘We do not smoke together. I have a song called ‘Smoke’ that she has heard.’”
“Smoke,” released back in March, kicked off the rollout for Monét’s long-teasedJaguarfollow-up, marking the R&B singer’s first-ever release via RCA Records since signing with the label.
After earning notoriety as a songwriter for the likes ofAriana Grande, BLACKPINK andChloe X Halle, Monét’sJaguar IIcontinues her story as a solo artist worthy of all the love she’s gotten in recent years for her craft, both online and in person at her first-ever solo shows. Initially intended to be made up of three separate EPs forming a trilogy,Jaguarwill conclude as just two projects — with the latest stacked entry being a testament to Monét’s growth.
“There’s been a lot of talk on Twitter that I’m underrated, and I really always appreciate that because I feel like it means that people see more for me than I currently have, which is always good,” she says. “I’d always rather be underrated than overrated. I feel like there’s so much more to be said, shown and seen.”
“I like that some people feel like they were early," she adds. “They’re like, ‘I knew about her years ago,' which creates some pride and camaraderie and then gives people an incentive to spread the word, too.”
Victoria Monét opened up to PEOPLE about her new project, ‘Jaguar II’.Foxxatron
IfJaguar IIproves anything about Victoria Monét, it’s that being a “perfectionist” when it comes to her solo music — and taking as much time as she needs to retool and eventually deliver the follow-up project — is going to work in her favor. Taking cues fromJaguar,Jaguar IIis loaded with reminders that Monét has been writing and grinding for years, from a playfulChalie Boyinterpolation within “On My Mama,” to some stop-you-in-your-tracks dreamy harmonies on “How Does It Make You Feel.”
While the project may also feel consistent with its predecessor thanks to some familiarD’Milemagic, its lyrical content isn’t what many may expect from a new mother, Monét says.
“I feel like the project rounds up how women and people feel in general,” Monét adds. “We can embody more than one emotion and be more than one type of person. You don’t have to be so stereotypically one thing.”
Continuing her story beyondJaguar II, Monét officially announced her first-ever headlining tour this month, aptly titledThe Jaguar Tour. The two-month run kicks off in Detroit this September and wraps with an international date in London.
“When it’s your show, it’s just so many people that have been there from the beginning that are rooting for you, that want to see you win, and you’re just absorbing all of that energy, everyone’s facing you and giving you so much love and gratitude,” Monét says of touring.
Now less than a month before the release of what she considers her best project yet, Monét says she hopes fans can see her continual growth as an artist and enjoy what she hopes to be a “timeless” new project for those who have been longtime fans, and those just catching on now.
“And I’m hoping to obviously outdo this [album] with the next thing. That’s all I hope for as long as I’m alive, just to get better, be better and learn new things. So I’m really mostly confident about the fact thatJaguar IIis a really, really great body of work. I think that in a lot of ways it’s timeless, so that’s why I feel it’ll be around.”
source: people.com
