Victoria Monét on Her 7 Grammy Nods (and One for Her Toddler) (2024)

On the morning of this year’s Grammy Award nominations, Victoria Monét, the pop and R&B singer and songwriter, had the champagne ready no matter what.

Up early and gathered at a hotel with her 2-year-old daughter, Hazel, some members of her team and other collaborators via video chat, Monét was hoping for some industry recognition but ready for anything. “Worst case scenario, I just would have been really tipsy,” she said.

When all the categories had been announced, there were at least nine reasons to celebrate: Monét scored seven nominations, tied for second-most overall, including record of the year (“On My Mama”), best new artist, best R&B song and best R&B album, for “Jaguar II.” Her longtime collaborator and “Jaguar II” producer Dernst Emile II, known as D’Mile, was nominated for producer of the year, nonclassical, for the second year in a row. And Hazel became the youngest ever Grammy nominee for her feature appearance — alongside Earth, Wind & Fire — on the song “Hollywood,” which is up for best traditional R&B performance.

In a phone interview shortly after the Grammy nominees were announced, Monét discussed the vindication of this moment, the health of R&B music, her daughter’s reaction to her record-setting recognition and how the music industry views motherhood. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.