Monica

Monica Denise Arnold (formerly Brown; born October 24, 1980) is an American singer, rapper and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, she began performing as a child and became part of a traveling gospel choir at the age of ten. Monica signed with record producer Dallas Austin through his label Rowdy Records in 1993, and gained prominence following the release of her debut studio album, Miss Thang (1995). Her follow up releases were met with further commercial success; her second, The Boy Is Mine (1998) remains her best-selling album and spawned three singles that peaked the Billboard Hot 100: “The Boy Is Mine” (with Brandy), “The First Night”, “Angel of Mine”.

She then parted ways with Arista and Rowdy Records in favor of Clive Davis’ J Records to release third album, All Eyez on Me (2002). Released only in Japan, the album was met with critical and commercial failure, leading to a re-issue which became Monica’s fourth album and first to peak the US Billboard 200, After the Storm (2003). Effectively rebounding her success, rapper Missy Elliott executive produced the album and wrote its lead single “So Gone”, which entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number ten. Her fifth and sixth albums, The Makings of Me (2006) and Still Standing (2010) also peaked atop the Billboard 200; the latter received two Grammy Award nominations.

Monica’s popularity translated into an acting career, with television roles in Living Single (1996), Felicity (2001), and American Dreams (2003), and film roles including Boys and Girls (2000), Love Song (2000), and Pastor Brown (2009). In 2008, she served as an advisor for the NBC competition series The Voice. The recording of her 2008 single, “Still Standing” (featuring Ludacris) along with her personal life resulted in her receiving a reality television series, Monica: Still Standing on BET.

Monica has sold 5.3 million albums in the United States. In 2010, Billboard listed Monica at number 24 on its list of the Top 50 R&B and Hip Hop Artists of the past 25 years. A four-time nominee, she won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “The Boy Is Mine” at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards. Her other accolades include a Billboard Music Video Award, a BET Award, and a Soul Train Music Award.

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