Last week, Victoria Monét lived out the dream of every upcoming star who’s faced rejection or struggled to make a professional breakthrough. The 34-year-old R&B singer followed up a series of career setbacks with one of the most successful nights of her life, winning three Grammy awards on February 4, 2024.
Monét won Best New Artist and Best R&B Album. In addition, she won Best Non-Classical Engineered Album for her debut record “Jaguar II.” However, despite the “new artist” label, Victoria Monét has been working behind the scenes for more than a decade.
During her acceptance speech, the “On My Mama” singer revealed she had been writing hits for other performers. However, she said record labels and executives declined to put her in the spotlight. “There was a binder that I made to take this really important meeting at a label,” she said during her speech.
The singer said she thought the label would sign her since she was an independent artist with no team. “I just thought, maybe my music would stand for itself,” she added, tearing up. “But that binder was collecting dust in an office at that label.” Even after her music gained a following, Victoria Monét experienced rejection.
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In June 2023, her single “On My Mama” became her first No. 1 hit on a Billboard songs chart. The song resonated with listeners, who launched a social media campaign for her. Fans campaigned for her to perform the song at the then-upcoming MTV Video Music Awards in September 2023.
Unfortunately, the organizers denied Victoria Monét a slot to perform on stage. According to reports, they considered her too “unknown” for the event’s audience. Hence, she took to X to show appreciation to the fans for the campaign they launched on her behalf.
“I see your advocation for me to have performed tonight, and I’m so grateful to you!! Sincerely!” she wrote. “My team was told it is ‘too early in my story’ for that opportunity, so we will keep working!” The singer also thanked her fans, saying, “I’m grateful for YOU!”
Contrary to what many believe, Victoria Monet’s success wasn’t overnight. Her career journey started long ago; she put in the work, and now it’s paying off. Monét’s career echoes a hard truth: becoming successful takes time, usually far longer than you’d hope or expect.
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“This award was a 15-year pursuit,” Monet said during her acceptance speech. “Instead of comparing your successes or failures to someone else’s, embrace the highs and lows of solely chasing your goals.” Victoria Monét added, “To everybody who has a dream, I want you to look at this as an example.”
Like Victoria Monét, many Black women have experienced the same in a more traditional career field. According to a 2022 report, 63% of Black women say that they don’t see a pathway to advance their careers within their current organization.
Every Level Leadership founder and principal consultant, Ericka Hines, said it’s usually not due to a lack of ability or effort. Hence, she advised Black women to focus on cultivating relationships with colleagues across the workplace for a support system.
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