Monica

Monica Denise Brown, professionally known as Monica, is an American R&B recording artist and entertainer. Monica began performing as a child and, by age 10, joined a traveling gospel choir. She cites Whitney Houston as her primary inspiration and influence, with additional influences including Mary J. Blige, Betty Wright, Gladys Knight and Anita Baker.

Monica signed with Rowdy and released her debut studio album, "Miss Thang." The first two singles from this album, "Don't Take It Personal" and "Before You Walk out of My Life," made her the youngest recording act to have two consecutive No. 1 hits on the Billboard Top R&B Singles chart. Her second album, "The Boy Is Mine," produced five singles, including the No. 1 hits "The Boy Is Mine," "The First Night" and "Angel of Mine." The album received positive reviews from Rolling Stone and AllMusic, earned Monica three Grammy Award nominations and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA.

After moving to J Records, Monica released her third album, "All Eyez on Me," in Japan. A retooled version, "After the Storm," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and featured the single "So Gone," which became one of her best-selling singles. Monica's fifth studio album, "The Makings of Me," reached the top of the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 8 on the Billboard 200. She later released "Still Standing," which was chronicled by her BET reality series of the same name and included the No. 1 hit "Everything to Me." The second single, "Love All Over Me," was a Top 10 hit on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Monica's career includes milestones such as a Verzuz battle with Brandy, which broke records. She has collaborated with artists on songs like "Pink" to support breast cancer research and "Love Me Enough" with Nicki Minaj. Monica also entered the country music genre with the song "Open Roads" from her ninth studio album. She has released multiple albums and singles, including "Friends."

In addition to her music career, Monica has appeared in films and television shows, including "Boys and Girls," "ATL," VH1, The Voice and The Real. She has been a contestant on Celebrity Game Face and Celebrity Family Feud and has hosted the show Celebrity True Crime Story. Monica is also active in philanthropy, founding the Be Human foundation to promote positive change.