Earlier this week, Victoria Monét lived out the dream of anyone who’s been denied a promotion or otherwise struggled to make a professional breakthrough.
The 34-year-old R&B singer followed up a series of frustrating career setbacks with one of the most successful nights of her life, taking home three Grammy awards on Feb. 4. She won best new artist, best R&B album and best non-classical engineered album for her debut record “Jaguar II.”
Despite the label of “new artist,” Monét had been working behind the scenes for more than a decade, writing hits for other performers while record labels and executives declined to put her in the spotlight, she said in an acceptance speech.
“There was a binder that I made to take this really important meeting at a label, and I thought I was going to be signed. I was an independent artist with no team and I just thought, maybe my music would stand for itself,” she said, tearing up. “But that binder was left collecting dust in an office at that label.”
Even once her music gained a following, she experienced rejection.
In June 2023, her single “On My Mama” became her first No. 1 hit on a Billboard songs chart. The song resonated with listeners, some of whom launched a social media campaign for her to perform it at the then-upcoming MTV Video Music Awards in September.
Instead, Monét was denied a slot on stage by organizers who considered her too unknown for the event’s audience, she posted on social media platform X during the night of the show. “I see your advocation for me to have performed tonight and I’m so grateful to you!! Sincerely!” she wrote, to her fans. “My team was told it is ‘too early in my story’ for that opportunity so we will keep working!”
MTV didn’t immediately respond to CNBC Make It’s request for comment.
The myth of overnight successes
Monét’s career journey echoes a hard truth: Becoming successful takes time, usually far longer than you’d hope or expect.
Most so-called overnight successes take years and years of…
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