In 2019, Victoria Monét was one of six women who were given a matching ring by Ariana Grande, alluding to her hit “7 Rings”.
Now, speaking to PEOPLE about her recent Grammy nominations (Monét is the second-most nominated artist at the upcoming ceremony), she revealed that Grande, 30, ended up giving her two.
“I have two, because at one point I lost one, and I was so devastated because sometimes I’m a bit irresponsible. That was the old me, this is the new me, but Ariana felt so bad that she got the second one,” Monét, 34, tells PEOPLE exclusively.
She adds, “Then I found another one. So she says, ‘Just keep both,’ so I have two and I wear them stacked.”
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The “On My Mama” singer — who earned seven Grammy nominations this year for her latest studio album Jaguar II and has written for artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West and Fifth Harmony — brought rings to her recent tour, but she found a special place for them before each show.
“Before every show, I took them off and gave them to someone from my team, so I put them back,” she says and adds that she tries “not to wear them everywhere, because I still have that little place in my mind. where I’m like, ‘I don’t want to lose them. They are so valuable.'”
Victoria Monét performs in Atlanta in September 2023.
Paras Griffin/Getty
Monét, who started out as a songwriter, collaborated with Grande on hits such as “thank u, next,” “needy” and “Be Alright.”
Initially, being seen as an artist rather than a songwriter was no easy task for Monét – but she was just waiting for the right moment to “pounce”. The title of her Grammy-nominated album was quite fitting.
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“I associated the music industry with the jungle,” she says. “The jungle is the jaguar’s environment, but it’s not always the first thing you see. That’s how I felt when I was behind the scenes of the music.”
Monét adds: “It took me a long time, but I was happy that I did it. I think that anyone who wants to be fluid in their creativity should be able to do that, and not be questioned as to why or for people to be so confused. Everything as long as you’re willing to just change the narrative, that’s what will happen eventually.”
For more from Victoria Monét, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere now.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education