An R&B Prodigyĭespite her rough work schedule, Best was also devoted to her church and choir, and passed on that love of gospel music to her daughter. ” They were surprised that I went through a lot of the same things they had, like there were nights when my mother didn ’t eat so I could, ” Monica said. While the singer was on promotional tours for her first album, she told Ewey in Ebony, she met other teens who had also been through less-than-idyllic childhoods. Monica ’s mother eventually became a consumer affairs official at Delta Air Lines and was remarried to a minister, Dr. Monica and her brothers were raised by her mother, Marilyn, who worked full-time to support them, with help from her own mother. Arnold Jr., until she became a celebrity. She would have little contact with her mechanic father, M.C. ” Forget about her age -unlike her teen counterparts, Monica makes music for grownups, ” she added.īorn Monica Arnold on October 24, 1980, she was joined by a quick succession of three brothers before her parents split when she was just four.
” You can hear the struggle in her voice it ’s husky, gospel-tinged, knowing, ” declared Veronica Chambers in Newsweek in 1998. Some of that soul and maturity may be the result of her childhood -she was raised with three brothers in a single-parent household, and has battled various critical snipes and salacious rumors since the start of her career. ” Monica stood apart from the crowd of one-name teenage Divas with her rich, soulful voice and her unbridled confidence, ” wrote Melissa Ewey in Ebony. In an era when her teen cohorts in the industry, such as Brandy and Aaliyah, also enjoy massive chart success, the gospel-trained singer easily won praise for both her talent, self-possession, and her down-to-earth demeanor.
1 hits on the Billboard R&B singles chart in the same year. 6) and Brandy’s forthcoming venture with RCA’s Chameleon Records.In 1995 Atlanta native Monica became the youngest artist ever to achieve two No.
10 on iTunes, the tune has yet to consistently crack the Top 200, but it should get more play over the coming months when it appears on Monica’s New Life album (out Mar. “The song was so special,” Brandy chimed in, “We both been through a lot of different things in our lives, and we just wanted to say something completely different than the boy is mine and I’m just happy to be working with Monica again, this is truly a blessing.”
“Comfortability in who we are,” said Monica, “love of music, love of our children, having so many things in common brought us full circle musically and then finding the song was the very last element.” Recently speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, both Brandy and Monica addressed why they felt like 2012 was the right time to team up again. And he can leave his stuff behind - like a less heartbreaking version of Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable.” They aren’t fighting over a man this time around, so much as arguing over their respective (mutual?) significant other’s shortcomings. PHOTOS: 10 Musicans Who Crossed Over Into Movies