Ms. Monet, as a Grammy winning singer and songwriter, do you remember the first time you wrote lyrics that really moved you?
I don’t think it was the lyrics necessarily, but I think I felt really moved and like I’d really achieved something when I went into the studio for the first time to record. It felt like a really important moment for me as a songwriter, being able to hear my voice back and make little changes, stacking harmonies… I still have that recording to this day.
You got your start as a lyricist writing poems as a kid, right? It seems like songwriting is something that came naturally to you.
I wouldn’t say that words always came easily to me, because I was actually really shy growing up! Or maybe the thoughts came easily, but the way to say it was not always easy. I would always be deciding if I should or shouldn’t say something, I never had the courage to say it the way that I want to say it. So songwriting has definitely been an outlet for me to express myself and have a diary, a place to share what I’m feeling over the years. That’s always how I’ve approached it, so it’s interesting to listen back and think, like, “Why was I so pressed about that situation? I really feel disconnected from it now!” (Laughs) But mostly, I’m glad I have my writing as a resource.
“I’m not necessarily thinking about those goals when I’m writing but I’m always trying to be honest and authentic and vulnerable.”
How is the dynamic of being quite shy, and also being a performer? Was it challenging for you to sing these personal lyrics you’ve written in front of fans and audiences?
Oh, I’m always nervous — it’s just some shows I’m more nervous than others, and I think that comes with confidence about the show, who I know is in the audience, how big the audience is. I think it’s actually easier for me to perform in front of a bigger audience, because you can see them a little bit less. With the smaller shows, you can see and hear people’s reactions, you can see their facial expressions, and it’s kind of like an instant review of the show. It’s closer and more intimate, you can feel their energy as well. That can be really intimate. But I think I’m at my best when I’m being creative, and that can be performing, but that could also be in the studio, that could also be cooking, making ceramics, doing a painting, drawing with my daughter. I love to be connected to these creative things in my life and I don’t take it for granted.
You’re also often the audio engineer for your own music. That experience must give you a lot of authority to make exactly the music you want to make.
Absolutely, I’m very excited to have this production experience, I love working on my own stuff versus having to communicate over somebody’s shoulder. I love to be hands on, to be able to sit and explore your ideas on your own. It’s definitely an important skill that I’m glad that I was able to learn and that I continue to use, you know, on my new album which is coming out this summer, I was watching the Michael Jackson Thriller documentary recently and I started getting into discovering what kind of mic he recorded on often and then taking that mic and using that with for myself. I recorded in the main room with headphones on and this mic and I think you can sense those subtle differences. I also felt really inspired by 90s and early 2000s RnB, but 40s and 50s music as well. It’s been a really interesting inspiration, all these dynamic harmonies, playing with the reverb and delay, and making it feel really grand and lush in terms of the production… It’s been such a fun discovery zone. I’ve worked really diligently on my voice too, so I hope that fans will hear the growth.
When you released the video for your single “Let Me,” one of the comments on YouTube was: “Victoria is bringing back real RnB.”
(Laughs) I mean, that is nice to hear but I feel like comparing today’s RnB to 90s RnB would be like what our parents were doing, listening to popular music and saying it doesn’t compare to what they had in the 60s and 70s, you know? Music is ever changing! My goal really was just to do what felt good to me at the time of creation, and so that’s what “Let Me” is about. I’m not trying to have this cape on my back to bring anything back. If these songs bring nostalgia to people, I love that! I love that life can have these sounds or smells that bring you back to a moment in your life. I think that’s a more special way to look at it.
Another song of yours I’ve been thinking about is “On My Mama,” which celebrates looking and feeling your best as a woman. How was it to write something like that?
I wrote that song postpartum, so it was exploring new sort of emotions and subject matters in songwriting, I was opening back up! “On My Mama” is such a positive affirmation or a mantra for me and it was really fun to give that to people. It didn’t feel preachy, but it still felt like something that could just lift people up. I’m not necessarily thinking about those goals when I’m writing but I’m always trying to be honest and authentic and vulnerable. And because with social media, we already are dealing with so much comparison… So it is important for me to put those messages into the world, those songs where it’s about helping you feel better about your day or about yourself.
How do you grapple with social media as an artist? Are you trying to step back from it a bit?
I try my best to separate and step away sometimes, and then step back into social media as warranted. It’s kind of difficult, because it’s my job. It’s another part of my job to show more of myself, because as crazy as it sounds, it’s a consumer want. It’s hard to decide or decipher when to share, when not to share, and what would be best for me as an artist.
I go through those questions as a normal person, so I can imagine it’s even more difficult as a public figure.
Yeah, I think a lot of us as artists are going through that, and it’s nice to hear that we’re not the only ones. We all can relate on, even though we all try portray this image that we’re confident or we’re sure that this is something that we wanted to share. Deep down… I don’t know if this is correct for today, but that’s the thing that makes us relatable and more human, because we are a lot more alike than we realize sometimes.
I’m sure there’s also a lot of pressure to share more, post more, be more active, do more things, work yourself harder when you’ve got a new album or going on tour.
There’s definitely pressure because it is true that the momentum can be lost. You think about people forgetting about you, people moving on and changing the direction of their attention. I noticed in general, this world praises hard work and lack of sleep, almost like bragging about it. But the effect that that could have on your mental state and the quality of your work is important. I think it’s important that we shift the paradigm and the narrative that overworking is actually a positive thing, and just making sure that quality over quantity is the message. So I try really hard to drown those pressures out, and just go forth with faith and courage and confidence, and know that everything I did was everything that I should have done.