Victoria Monét says it’s “super validating” to earn top accolades after VMAs turned her down

It’s like being told by a sports coach that you’re not good enough yet to play the game, but the moment you’re finally given a chance, you score all the points. 

That’s the way Victoria Monét described her feelings of being turned down as a performer at the 2023 Video Music Awards and later earning numerous top music honors, including not one, not two, but seven Grammy nominations.

She told Apple Music’s Dotty that it feels “super validating to just have these accolades come after a moment like that.”

Monét had opened up before about that moment her team was told it was “too early” in her career to take the VMAs stage. So, she didn’t perform her hit song “On My Mama” and its viral video choreography. 

Fans across the internet questioned Monét’s absence at the award show and said that they were shocked and saddened she was left out. 

But not long after the VMAs saga, Monét started to rake in the honors. Thanks to “On My Mama” and its home, Jaguar II, the singer/songwriter made her Jimmy Fallon Tonight Show debut, participated in a special Rolling Stone roundtable, graced the cover of Essence, went top 5 on urban radio and nabbed six BET Soul Train Award nominations.

She said in an Instagram post she was overwhelmed with emotion about her seven Grammy noms. 

As for the “no” that opened the door for the many times she heard “yes” thereafter: “I knew I wasn’t trippin,” Monét said. “I knew I worked hard for this … I hope their mind has changed.”

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