Victoria Monet is Dazed magazine’s new cover girl, but one thing she isn’t is stuck in a fog over what could have been following her MTV Video Music Award show performance snub in September 2023.
The singer was gearing up for what would be a series of sold-out shows for “The Jaguar Tour” and fresh off the release of her album, Jaguar II, when fans realized she was not listed among the artists asked to grace the stage. She also was not nominated.
At the time, as is true today, her record “On My Mama” was in near constant rotation on the airwaves and on digital platforms. The self-affirming anthem would score her a Record of the Year nomination at the Grammys, where she won in three categories (Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; Best R&B Album; and Best New Artist) in February.
“I see your advocation for me to have performed tonight, and I’m so grateful to you! Sincerely!” she tweeted on Sept. 13, 2023, as her supporters were in an uproar across social media. She would go on to reveal “My team was told it is ‘too early in my story’ for that opportunity, so we will keep working!”
In the new interview, which was published on March 1 but recorded ahead of the Grammys, she reiterated that she’s not walking around with a chip on her shoulder over the issue. “I don’t want to vilify anyone because it’s almost like ignorance rather than an act of malice — whoever was in charge just wasn’t aware, and now, hopefully, they are. Everything comes in due time,” she told the publication. “It’s another one of those milestones that I’m going to appreciate so much more when it happens. I’m at peace with it.”
Preparing for her moment to shine is nothing new for the singer-songwriter, who penned hits for the industry’s stars before stepping to the forefront. In her Best New Artist speech, she said just that. “This award was a 15-year pursuit… I like to liken myself to a plant… My roots have been underneath [the] ground and unseen for so long… Today, I’m sprouting, finally above ground,” she said as the audience broke out into applause.
The Spring issue of Dazed is available for pre-order now.