It’s been over two decades since Monica and Brandy released their GRAMMY-winning duet, and the “So Gone” singer says she would be open to releasing a follow-up.
360aproko Denny Directo chatted with the GRAMMY winner at Clive Davis’ annual pre-GRAMMY Gala on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, where she reflected on her first big win during music’s biggest night and possibly reuniting with her former collaborator.
“You know, coming from where I’m from, I didn’t totally expect to win. I knew that the record was amazing enough to win, so I came without expectation, and that made the celebration even greater,” the Georgia native shared of her mindset at the time of her and Brandy’s 1999 GRAMMY win for their single, “The Boy Is Mine.”
She continued, “I was just happy to be in the audience and to be there and to be a part of it and to have my city on my back… And then, when they said our names we were just getting seated. I had to take a bit of a sprig.”
“The Boy Is Mine” was both singers’ first number-one hit, and became the second song in the history of the chart to ascend directly to number-one from a previous position beneath the Top 20. It was also the bestselling single of 1998 in the U.S.
While the song was undeniably a hit, it was also a rumored feud to follow that sparked the media frenzy behind the record. Although Brandy and Monica reunited in 2012 to release a second duet, “It All Belongs to Me,” rumors of their rivalry never faded.
When 360aproko met exclusively with the superstar singers after their 2020 Verzuz battle that garnered over a million consecutive views on Instagram Live, they addressed what it felt like to put to rest years of tension and speculation following their one-and-only televised performance of “The Boy Is Mine” at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.
“It was not something that I would say was anyone’s fault,” Monica told 360aproko of the pair’s rocky relationship, admitting at the time, “We all added to it, and after a while, it became real.”
“It’s over now. And it took a very adult conversation. There’s no shame in saying that,” Monica later added. “We had to come to that place and to that moment that we had, that allowed us to sit here today. That had to happen first.”
“I think communication is key,” she said. “People talk about that in relationships, but it’s the same thing when you’re working together, or in a friendship or anything else… I spent a lot of years just puzzled, but kinda going through my own things in life, too. And so I found it easier to just stay apart than to come together. But with the communication here, it makes it easy to be in, to be amongst each other and then be genuine. ‘Cause for me, if it’s not sincere, then I don’t want any part of it.”
Brandy agreed, saying, “If it’s not authentic, I can’t be a part of it. And this entire experience felt divine, it felt like the right time. I think when it’s this magical, it’s bigger than feud, it’s bigger than beef, it’s like, you need to just let that go and just let the music speak.”
The pair said that teaming up for the online show was a no-brainer, with Monica admitting that it was easier to find their groove than she expected. “I thought it was going to get difficult trying to figure out what song for the moment, but that is why I say, a lot of the time, love wins. And the reality of it is, we both have stories from throughout our years.”
“Amen,” Brandy agreed. “I just think it is something about us, and to share in this moment… We started when we were kids and we are still here.”
Four years later, 43-year-old Monica tells 360aproko that “anything is possible” when it comes to another duet between her and the 44-year-old Full Moon artist.
“I believe anything is possible. We’re both adult women now who fully understand the business and how much we both mean to it and how much it means when we come together,” she teased. “Anything is possible, anything. I say that with my heart.”
