Victoria Monét is planning to wait a few years until she gives her 2-year-old daughter, Hazel Monét Gaines, another opportunity to grace a red carpet.
Speaking with 360aproko Cassie DiLaura from the Billboard Women in Music Awards — where she was honored with the Rising Star Award — the 34-year-old musician said that after a “disaster” of an appearance at the GRAMMY Awards in February, her toddler is sidelined from big events.
“The last carpet was a disaster, so I think we’re gonna give it a couple years,” the “On My Mama” singer said.
Photos and videos from the night showed a very tired Hazel clinging to her mom and dad John Gaines as the family walked the carpet before entering the venue. Inside, Monét scored three GRAMMY wins, including Best New Artist and Best R&B Album.
Just because Monét isn’t bringing her daughter to more carpets, Monét says that same policy does not stand for getting her back in the studio. The singer revealed she is already working on scoring Hazel her second GRAMMY nomination.
“Absolutely — she already is Grammy-nominated so it sounds about right, you know?” Monét said.
Hazel earned her first nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance alongside her mom and Earth, Wind & Fire for the song “Hollywood.” With the nod, Hazel became the youngest nominee in GRAMMY history.
As for her own wins, the singer-songwriter said the timing could not be better and that it “feels like God’s perfect plan.”
“I’m so happy, I feel seen, I’m just excited to be able to stand on a stage and thank my team and perform tonight and celebrate with all of these beautiful, magical women,” she said. “It’s such a good energy every time I come to this event, so I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Monét added, “When I thought it was time, it wasn’t time, and now it is and I’m just happy to be here. I want to keep the momentum going.”
Another thing she’s feeling grateful for? One photographer at the GRAMMY Awards who stuck around and helped her get a photo with Beyoncé as they were coming back from a break. The “Single Ladies” singer previously sent Monét flowers after she showed up to support the Renaissance film back in November.
“Thank you so much to the photographer for making that happen because they were trying to wrap it up for commercial break,” she told 360aproko. “They were like, ‘Go sit down,’ and I saw Beyoncé start to pose and I was like, ‘OK, we gonna do a couple more photos.'”
It was a show-stopping moment for the Jaguar II singer who said she is constantly and consistently inspired by Queen Bey’s work. She also said she can’t wait to see what comes next from Beyoncé, which looks to be a country-inspired album.
“I love it. She knows no limit. Whatever the world has to say can go to heaven,” Monét said. “I’m so excited to hear what she’s doing. I feel like her voice is capable of doing any genre she wants. You know, she can make beats like beatbox and make an album that I would listen to, so I’m very excited to see where she’s taking us. It’s very complicated to have such a long career and still be able to surprise people and do something new. We’ve seen so many versions of her. So many times that she’s recreated herself so I’m excited to see it again. Her brilliance again.”
The 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards will be available to watch on billboardwomeninmusic.com on March 7 at 5 p.m. PT.
