Monica | |
|---|---|
.png) Monica in 2019 | |
| Born | Monica Denise Arnold (1980-10-24)October 24, 1980 (age 45) College Park, Georgia, U.S. |
| Education | North Clayton High School |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Works | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Polow da Don (cousin) Ludacris (cousin) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | |
| Website | monica |
 | |
Musical artist | |
Monica Denise Arnold (formerlyBrown; born October 24, 1980),[1] best known mononymously asMonica, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Born and raised inCollege Park, Georgia, she began performing as a child and joined a travelinggospel choir by the age of ten. Monica signed with record producerDallas Austin's labelRowdy Records in 1993, and gained prominence following the release of her debut studio album,Miss Thang (1995). Her follow-up albums were met with continued success; her second,The Boy Is Mine (1998) remains her best-selling album and spawned threeBillboard Hot 100-number one singles: "The Boy Is Mine" (withBrandy), "The First Night " and "Angel of Mine".
She then parted ways withArista andRowdy Records in favor ofClive Davis'sJ Records upon the label's launch in 2000.[2] Her Japan-exclusive third album,All Eyez on Me (2002), was met with a steep critical and commercial decline, although its partial re-issue,After the Storm (2003), served as her fourth album and became her first to debut atop the USBillboard 200. Its lead single, "So Gone", peaked at number ten on theBillboard Hot 100. Her fifth and sixth albums,The Makings of Me (2006) andStill Standing (2010), debuted at numbers eight and two on theBillboard 200, respectively; the latter received twoGrammy Award nominations. Her seventh,New Life (2012) debuted at number four on the chart despite unfavorable critical response; her eighth album,Code Red (2015) marked her final release with RCA.
Monica's popularity translated into an acting career, with television roles inLiving Single (1996),Felicity (2001), andAmerican Dreams (2003), and film roles includingBoys and Girls (2000),Love Song (2000), andPastor Brown (2009). In 2008, she served as an advisor for theNBC competition seriesThe Voice. The recording of her 2008 single, "Still Standing" (featuringLudacris) along with her personal life resulted in her receiving a reality television series,Monica: Still Standing onBET.
Monica has sold over 25 million records worldwide,[3] with more than five million of those in the United States alone.[4] In 2000,Billboard ranked her tenth its list of the Top Female Solo Artists of the 1990s.[5] In 2010, the magazine listed her 24th on its list of the Top 50 R&B and Hip-Hop Artists of the past 25 years.[6] A five-time nominee, she wonBest R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "The Boy Is Mine" at the41st Annual Grammy Awards. Her other accolades include aBillboard Music Video Award, aBET Award, and aSoul Train Music Award. In 2009, she received theLady of Soul Honor.
Monica Denise Arnold was born inCollege Park, Georgia, the only daughter of Marilyn Best, aDelta Air Lines customer service representative and former church singer, and M.C. "Billy" Arnold Jr, who was a mechanic for anAtlanta freight company. Arnold's mother is of African American descent and her father is African American, Indian and Irish, as she stated in an interview with Wendy Williams in the year 2000; " My Grandfather was Irish & Black, and my Grandmother was entirely Indian, as my father has Blonde hair & blue eyes." .[7] She has a younger brother, Montez (born in 1983), and a half brother, Jermond Grant, on her father's side.[8] Monica is also a cousin of record producerPolow da Don,[9] and is related to rapperLudacris through her mother's second marriage to Reverend Edward Best, aMethodist minister.[10]
At the age of 2, Monica followed in her mother's footsteps with regular performances at theJones Hill Chapel United Methodist Church in Marilyn's hometownNewnan, Georgia.[10] While growing up in the modest circumstances of a single-parent home after her parents' 1984 separation and 1987 divorce, Monica continued training herself in singing and became a frequent talent-show contestant, winning over 20 local singing competitions throughout her early teenage years.[11] When she was 10 years old, she became the youngest member of "Charles Thompson and the Majestics", a traveling 12-person gospel choir.[8] She attendedNorth Clayton High School with rapper2 Chainz. She graduated from high school in 1997 at age 16, having skipped ahead scholastically by studying year-round with a private tutor.[12]
In 1991, at the age of eleven, Monica was discovered by music producerDallas Austin at the Center Stage auditorium in Atlanta, performingWhitney Houston 1986's "Greatest Love of All". Amazed by her voice, Dallas offered her a record deal with his labelRowdy Records, and consulted rapperQueen Latifah to work as Monica's first manager.[13] Shortly afterwards Dallas and then staff producersTim & Bob entered the studio with Monica to start writing and producing her debutMiss Thang, which was released in July 1995 and peaked at number 36 on theBillboard 200 (and number seven on theTop R&B Albums chart).[13] To date the album has sold 1.5 million copies in the United States.[14] By January 2000, it receivedtriple platinum certification by theRIAA for three million units.[15] The album yielded three singles, including her debut "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)", and its follow-up "Before You Walk Out of My Life", which made Monica the youngest artist to have two consecutive chart-topping songs on the U.S.BillboardHot R&B Singles chart.[16][17]Miss Thang earned Monica anAmerican Music Award nomination forFavorite New Soul/R&B Artist.[18] The video for "Don't Take It Personal", directed by Rich Murray, was nominated for a Billboard Award for best video by a new artist.
Following the album's success, Monica's mainstream success was boosted. Her 1997 song "For You I Will"—recorded forSpace Jam: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture (1996)—became her next pop hit, peaking at number four on theBillboard Hot 100.[17] The song was written byDiane Warren. The following year, she was asked to team up with singerBrandy and producerRodney "Darkchild" Jerkins to record "The Boy Is Mine", the first single from both of their second albums. Released in May 1998, surrounding highly publicized rumors about a real-life catfight between both singers,[19] the duet became both the biggest hit of the summer and the biggest hit of 1998 in general in America,[20] spending thirteen weeks on top of theBillboard Hot 100 chart. It earned the pair aGrammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" and garneredmulti-platinum sales (to date, it remains as one of the top twenty most successful American singles in history based onBillboard chart success).[20]Jermaine Dupri,David Foster and Austin consulted on the albumThe Boy Is Mine, which was released later that year and it eventually became Monica's biggest-selling album; selling over 2,016,000 copies.[21]In June 2000, the album was certifiedtriple platinum by theRIAA for three million shipped units.[22] It yielded another two U.S. number-one hits with "The First Night" and "Angel of Mine", a cover ofEternal's 1997 single, as well as a remake ofRichard Marx' "Right Here Waiting".Rolling Stone proclaimed it "closer tosoul's source... harking back pasthip-hop songbirds likeMary J. Blige andadult-contemporary sirens likeToni Braxton",[23] whileAllMusic called the album an "irresistible sounding [and] immaculately crafted musical backdrop [...] as good as mainstreamurbanR&B gets in 1998."[24] Monica has also made guest appearances on several television shows such asLiving Single (1996),Beverly Hills, 90210 (1997, 1999) and the Cartoon Network specialBrak Presents The Brak Show Starring Brak (2000).
In 2000, Monica made her film debut as Camille Livingston, a young woman torn between the life her parents have planned for her and the world she experiences after meeting a musician from the wrong side of the tracks, inLove Song, the third drama produced byMTV Films.Love Song was released on December 1, 2000, and debuted the song "What My Heart Says" along with promotion for the singer's third studio albumAll Eyez on Me (2002). Monica has also acted inFelicity (2001) andAmerican Dreams (2003), playingMary Wells and singing "My Guy".
Also in 2000, Monica contributed chorus vocals for "I've Got to Have It", a collaboration withJermaine Dupri and rapperNas. Released as theBig Momma's House theme song, the track saw minor success in the United States. The following year, she released theRic Wake–produced "Just Another Girl", a promotional single for theDown to Earth soundtrack.
A year later, Monica channeled much of her heavily media-discussed experiences into the production of her third studio album,All Eyez on Me, her first release on her mentorClive Davis's newly established labelJ Records. "I just wanted to give the people back something that had personal passion, instead of just, 'Oh, let's dance to this record'", she said regarding the issues worked into the tracks.[25] The first single "All Eyez on Me", aRodney Jerkins-producedR&B-dance track, saw minor to moderate success on the international charts but failed to enter the higher half of the U.S.Billboard Hot 100 chart.[25] A follow-up song, "Too Hood", also got a lukewarm response and as a result, the album's tentative release was pushed back several times.[25] "I don't think people wanted to hear a big fun record from me, after knowing all the things that I had personally experienced", Monica second-guessed her new material which saw both early and heavy bootlegging via internet at that time.[25]
After the Japan-wide release ofAll Eyez on Me, Monica was asked to substantially reconstruct the record with a host of new producers, and as a result she re-entered recording studios to start work with songwritersKanye West,Jazze Pha,Andre "mrDEYO" Deyo, Bam & Ryan and Dupri—replacingexecutive producerMissy Elliott.[26] Released in June 2003,After the Storm debuted at number one on theBillboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 185,500 copies.[27] This was Monica's first and only time reaching number-one on the chart.[27] It eventually received agold certification, and has sold 1,023,000 copies to date.[21] Media reception of the CD was generally enthusiastic, with AllMusic saying the album "has all the assuredness and smart developments that should keep Monica's younger longtime followers behind her—all the while holding the ability to appeal to a wider spectrum of R&B and hip-hop fans."[28] The album's lead single, Elliott-penned "So Gone", was one of Monica's biggest commercial successes in years, becoming her first top ten single since 1999's "Angel of Mine". In addition, it reached the top position of theBillboard R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks andHot Dance Club Play charts.[29] Subsequently,After the Storm spawned another three singles, with final single "U Should've Known Better" reaching number nineteen on theBillboard Hot 100 chart.[30]
Towards the end of 2006, Monica released her next studio albumThe Makings of Me. Titled afterCurtis Mayfield's recording "The Makings of You", it saw her particularly reuniting with producers Elliott, Dupri, andBryan Michael Cox; they had previously contributed toAfter the Storm.[31] The album received a positive reception from most professional music critics, withAllMusic calling it a "concise and mostly sweet set of songs",[32] andEntertainment Weekly declaring it "a solid addition" to Monica's discography.[33] While it debuted at number one onBillboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and at number eight on the officialBillboard 200, it widely failed to revive the success of its predecessors.[34] Singles such assnap-influenced "Everytime tha Beat Drop" featuring Atlanta hip-hop groupDem Franchize Boyz and Elliott-produced "A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me)" failed to reach the top forty of the regular pop charts.[35] Also in 2006, she made a cameo appearance in the American comedy-drama filmATL, playing theWaffle House waitress.
In August 2008, Monica appeared in thePeachtree TV reality show specialMonica: The Single, which tracked the recording of the song "Still Standing" for hersame-titled sixth studio album.[36] The following year, she lent her voice to the ballad "Trust", a duet withKeyshia Cole, that peaked in the top five onBillboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and joined the cast ofRockmond Dunbar's drama filmPastor Brown.[37] In 2010, with the success of the 2008 one-hour special, Monica joined the production of theBET network for her own seriesMonica: Still Standing, producing a spin-off her Peachtree show, containing the same concept. It focused on finding a hit single for the album's release while balancing her personal life as a full-time mother and dealing with her troubled past. The premiere and encore episode garnered 3.2 million total viewers, while the show itself was made the second-highest series debut in BET history behind the debut ofTiny & Toya,[38] and was given a B rating byEntertainment Weekly.[39]
Featuring production byStargate,Ne-Yo, andPolow da Don,Still Standing was released in March 2010 and garnered a generally positive response by critics, who perceived its sound as "a return to the mid-'90s heyday" ofcontemporary R&B.[40] The album debuted atop onBillboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and number two on theBillboard 200 with opening week sales of 184,000 copies, becoming her highest-charting album in years. Lead single "Everything to Me" scored Monica her biggest chart success since 2003's "So Gone", reaching the top position of theBillboard R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks charts for seven weeks. The album wascertified gold by the RIAA with domestic shipments of 500,000 copies within a single month.[41] With it success, the album and "Everything to Me" were nominated for aGrammy Award forBest R&B Album andBest Female R&B Vocal Performance, presented at the53rd Grammy Awards.[42] Monica met future husband andNBA playerShannon Brown in June 2010 when they shot the music video for her second single "Love All Over Me".[43][44][45] Also in 2010, Monica joinedTrey Songz on his Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour, her first North American concert tour in ten years.[46]
In 2011, Monica joined thedebut season of the reality talent showThe Voice as an adviser to musician coachCee Lo Green.[47] In April 2012, her seventh studio album,New Life, was released. It marked her first release withRCA, following its absorption of J Records in October 2011.[48][49] Reception for the album was generally mixed;[50]AllMusic complimented the album's "saucy, spirited, and soulful vibe"[51] while Adam Markovitz ofEntertainment Weekly criticized its "cheesy choruses and outdated tunes".[52] Commercially,New Life debuted at number four on theBillboard 200 and number two on theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[53] The album spawned two preview singles, "Anything (To Find You)" and "Until It's Gone", both of which peaked in the top 30 on theBillboardR&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Lead single "It All Belongs to Me", another duet with singerBrandy, charted similarly, reaching number 23 on the same chart.[54] The same year, Monica along withFred Hammond was featured ongospel music recording artistJames Fortune and FIYA's single "Hold On" which became a top five hit on theChristian Songs chart and garnered aGrammy Award nomination forBest Gospel Song at the54th awards ceremony.[55]
In October 2013, Monica appeared on the soundtrack ofMalcolm D. Lee's Christmas comedy-dramaThe Best Man Holiday with her Jermaine Dupri-produced rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".[56] In December 2015, her eighth studio albumCode Red was released.[57] Upon its release, the album received generally mixed reviews from most music critics, and debuted at number 27 on the USBillboard 200 chart.[58] Leading single "Just Right for Me", a collaboration withLil Wayne, reached number twelve on theBillboardAdult R&B Songs chart but failed to impact elsewhere, resulting in lackluster sales in general and the release of no further singles. In support of the album, Monica embarked on her first solo concert tour in years,TheCode Red Experience to promoteCode Red. In November 2016, Monica announced her departure fromRCA Records after only four years with the label.[59]
In December 2018, Monica released the ballad "Be Human" to introduce The Be Human Foundation, anon profit organization founded by herself.[60] The same month, she previewed music from her ninth studio album when she appeared on the seventh season of theVH1 reality seriesT.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle.[61][62] In January 2019, she released "Commitment," the first single on her own label, Mondeenise Music.[63] Asleeper hit, "Commitment" reached number one on the USBillboardAdult R&B Songs in the week ending July 21, 2019, becoming her first chart topper in nine years.[64] This was followed by the release of "Me + You" in April 2019 and the album's initial title track "Trenches" featuringLil Baby in August 2020.[61] The release of "Trenches" coincided with Monica and Brandy's appearances on the webcast battle seriesVerzuz which took place on August 31, atTyler Perry Studios inAtlanta.[65][66] At least 1.2 million people tuned in for the battle.[67] In October 2020, Monica was featured on the single "Pink" alongsideDolly Parton,Jordin Sparks,Sara Evans andRita Wilson. The single was released in aid ofBreast Cancer Research.[68][69][70]
In July 2022,[71] Monica released the single, "Friends," featuringTy Dolla Sign. The song became her first top forty hit on the USR&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in three years.[72][73] In 2023, she reteamed with singerJames Fortune on the duet "Trusting God." Released as a single through Fortune's FIYA World Entertainment, it reached the top 30 on the USBillboardHot Gospel Songs chart.[74] "Letters," another single, was released through Mondeenise Music in June 2023.[75][76][77] In December 2023, Monica appeared alongsideNicki Minaj andKeyshia Cole on the song "Love Me Enough" from the "Gag City" deluxe version of Minaj's albumPink Friday 2.[78][79][80] In June 2024,Ariana Grande released "The Boy Is Mine (Remix)," a reimagination of the 1998 duet which also features both Monica and Brandy.[81][82] In late July, the singer re-signed withWMA agency in partnership with her production company MonDeenise Productions. She announced that her recently renamed R&B album, now calledMDA, along with her country albumOpen Road, executive produced by country singerBrandi Carlile, were both set for release later this year. However, neither release ultimately materialized.[83]
On June 24, 2025, it was announced Arnold would co-headline a United States tour with Brandy; the tour is due to commence in October 2025, and finish in December 2025. Titledthe Boy Is Mine Tour, the shows will also feature support actsKelly Rowland,Muni Long andJamal Roberts.[84][85]
Monica possesses analto vocal range,[86][87] whichBillboard's Erika Ramirez described as "impeccable".[88] Elysa Gardner of theLos Angeles Times likened her "husky, dramatic alto" to that of singerToni Braxton.[89] Writing that the singer arguably possesses "the best alto of her generation",PopMatters contributor Tyler Lewis said Monica has "always been able to elevate even the most generic material [...] with conviction and the sheer beauty of her voice", despite believing she uses "a little too much vibrato at times".[90]
Monica has said many times thatWhitney Houston is her biggest inspiration and influence since childhood. Another big influence isMary J. Blige. Other artists she looks up to areBetty Wright,Gladys Knight andAnita Baker.[91][92]
Monica's career slowed down in 1999 due to problems in her relationship with ex-boyfriend Jarvis Weems.[25] In July 2000, the couple were together at the gravesite of Weems's brother, who had died in an automobile accident at age 25 in 1998. Weems then, without warning, put a gun to his head and committed suicide.[25] "Afterward, I felt, 'What else could I have done?' You replay that situation over and over and you switch it around: 'Maybe if I had said this, or if I would have done that'", Monica said in an interview with theAssociated Press in 2003. "It's just something that it's never possible for me to go back and change."[25] Monica briefly dated rapper,C-Murder, until he was incarcerated for a murder in 2003.[93]
Monica met rapperRodney "Rocko" Hill, a former SWA officer and real estate manager, shortly after Weems's suicide, a time which she described as her "weakest".[94] While the pair soon began dating in the fall of the same year, they ended their relationship in 2004. A few months later, Monica and Hill reunited and she became pregnant with their first child. On May 21, 2005, she gave birth to their son, Rodney, who performs under "Rodneyy" as aSoundCloud rapper.[94][95] Monica and Hill then became engaged on Christmas Eve 2007, shortly before the birth of their second child, named Romelo Montez Hill after Monica's younger brother, on January 8, 2008.[96] The couple split in early 2010.[97]
In June 2010, Monica met NBA playerShannon Brown while she was looking for someone to play the love interest in her video for the song "Love All Over Me".[43] In October 2010, she announced her engagement to Brown via herTwitter account, posting a photo of a rose-cut diamond ring.[98] On November 22, 2010, the couple married in a secret ceremony at their Los Angeles home. Their wedding, however, did not become a matter of public record until January 21, 2011, when Brown told theHip-Hop Non-Stop TV-Show.[99] A second wedding ceremony was held for family and friends to attend in July 2011.[100] On September 3, 2013, Monica gave birth to her third child, Laiyah Shannon Brown.[101] After eight years of marriage, Monica filed for divorce from Brown in March 2019.[102] In October 2019, their divorce was finalized.[103]
In August 2025, Monica married executive entertainment boyfriend, Anthony Wilson.[104][105]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Boys and Girls | Katie | |
| Love Song | Camille Livingston | TV movie | |
| 2006 | ATL | Waffle House Waitress | |
| 2009 | Pastor Brown | Lisa Cross | |
| 2016 | Almost Christmas | Waitress |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–97 | Soul Train | Herself | Recurring Guest |
| 1995–99 | All That | Herself | Recurring Guest |
| 1996 | Showtime at the Apollo | Herself | Episode: "Episode 9.16" |
| Living Single | Marissa | Episode: "Kiss of the Spider Man" | |
| New York Undercover | Herself | Episode: "If This World Were Mine" | |
| 1997–99 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Herself | Guest Cast: Season 7 & 9 |
| 1999 | Soul Train Music Awards | Herself/Co-Host | Main Co-Host |
| Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards | Herself/Co-Host | Main Co-Host | |
| 2000 | Brak Presents the Brak Show Starring Brak | Herself | Episode: "Episode 1.1" |
| Hollywood Squares | Herself/Panelist | Recurring Panelist | |
| 2001 | Felicity | Sarah Robinson | Episode: "Miss Conception" |
| 2003 | American Dreams | Mary Wells | Episode: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" |
| American Juniors | Herself/Guest Judge | Episodes: "Episode 1.13" & "1.14" | |
| 2004 | E! True Hollywood Story | Herself | Episode: "Missy Elliott" |
| 2006 | Access Granted | Herself | Episode: "Monica ft. Dem Franchize Boyz 'Everytime Tha Beat Drop'" |
| 2009 | Monica: Still Standing | Herself | Main Cast |
| 2010 | Kourtney & Kim Take Miami | Herself | Episode: "Picture Perfect" |
| 2011 | Khloé & Lamar | Herself | Episode: "Unbreakable" |
| The Voice | Herself/Adviser | Episode: "The Battles, Part 1" | |
| 2016 | The Real | Herself/Guest Co-Host | Recurring Guest Co-Host: Season 3 |
| 2017 | Hip Hop Squares | Herself/Center Square | Episode: "Sky vs Kid Ink" |
| The Talk | Herself/Guest Co-Host | Episode: "Episode 8.41" | |
| Star | Announcer | Episode: "Showtime" | |
| 2021 | Celebrity Game Face | Herself | Episode: "Wham Bam, Thank You Fam!" |
| 2022 | Celebrity Family Feud | Herself/Contestant | Episode: "Simu Liu vs. Nathan Chen and Monica vs. So So Def" |
| Entertainment Tonight | Herself/Guest Co-Host | Episode: "Episode 41.260" | |
| 2023 | Celebrity True Crime Story | Herself/Host | Main Host |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
