Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty
Victoria Monet became a 3-time Grammy Award-winning artist, taking home the gilded gramophone for Best New Artist, Best R&B Album, and Best Engineered Album. The 34-year-old singer was among many whose hard work and dedication were recognized in front of their industry peers and the rest of the world.
By the time the “On my Mama” singer took the stage, she already had two Grammy wins under her belt. And as she tearfully accepted the award for Best New Artist, the singer reminded us that the seeds we plant will eventually bare fruit if you remain faithful to your vision.
Victoria Monet shares her journey to winning 3 Grammy Awards
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“This award was a 15 year pursuit. I moved to LA in 2009,” she began. “I like to liken myself to a plant who was planted. You can look at the music industry as soil. It can be looked at as dirty, or it can be looked at as a source of nutrients and water. My roots have been growing underneath ground, unseen for so long. And I feel like today I’m sprouting,” she continued.
SZA wins 3 Grammy Awards
SZA’s latest album, SOS, instantly generated Grammy buzz after spending 21 weeks at number one on the Billboard Charts, “breaking the record for the longest stay for an album by a woman in the chart’s history and managing the longest run of any LP since 1990.”
The singer, who had a whopping nine nominations for the evening, took home three awards: Best Progressive R&B Album, Best R&B Song for “Snooze,” and Best Pop Duo /Group Performance for “Ghost in the Machine” with Phoebe Bridgers. And while the singer won her first Grammy in 2022 for the Best Pop Duo /Group Performance for “Kiss Me More” with Doja Cat, two of last night’s wins came from the blood, sweat, and tears she laid down on each track.
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While accepting her award, SZA, often known for her bashfulness, shared how monumental this moment was for her. She acknowledged that just 11 years ago, Lizzo and her were opening acts on a small Red Bull tour, and now here she is on stage accepting a Grammy award for her work. After thanking her friends, family, and colleagues for helping her along the way, she tearfully expressed gratitude for her journey.
“I just – I’m sorry, I’m just really overwhelmed,” she cried. “You don’t really understand. I came really, really far, and I can’t believe this is happening. It feels very fake.”
Coco Jones takes home her first Grammy Award
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In September of 2022, Coco Jones was about to release her highly anticipated EP “What I Didn’t Tell You,” featuring the smash hit “ICU.” Fast forward a little over a year later, the sultry breakup song that took the internet by storm earned her her first Grammy for Best R&B performance.
Watching last night’s show, I recognized a theme in the speeches. Monet referenced 15 years of work before her big win. Just last year, MTV’s VMAs said that the singer was too early in her career to perform at their awards show. Less than a year later, the mother to the youngest Grammy award nominee in history has taken home three golden gramophones, and she’s just getting started. SZA also reflected on the beginning of her journey, opening in rooms with 100 people. And while Jones was robbed of her moment to give a speech, she gave years to the entertainment industry that contributed to her win.
These women prove the day you plant the seed isn’t the day you see the fruit. Collectively, they have heard “no’s” that could’ve discouraged them from pursuing their dreams, but they stayed the course to see their vision through. And for a woman like me, watching Black women win is my kryptonite. Knowing the years of hard work and dedication that occur behind the scenes eventually produced their moment of recognition reminds me that nothing we do is in vain. Every no is as important as the yes because they test the strength of your self-worth.
Last night’s Grammy wins reminded me to water the seeds I’ve planted while I continue my journey to success. Were you inspired by Coco Jones, Victoria Monet, and SZA’s big night in music?
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