Victoria Monét’s L.A. Concert: Recap – Billboard

It took about one minute for R&B singer-songwriter Victoria Monét to promote out her first-ever headlining live performance. In 2016, she served as one of many opening acts for excursions by Fifth Harmony and Ariana Grande — the latter of whom she has written plenty of hits for, together with Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s “Thank U, Next” and “7 Rings” — and carried out her first solo pageant gig at Day N Vegas simply two years in the past. But for about one hour at Los Angeles’ El Rey Theatre on Friday night time (March 31) , Monét took her “motherf—in’ moment” and by no means let go.

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From the “Moment” the curtains pulled again on the 33-year-old performer, who appeared in a shimmering bronze and inexperienced bikini and mesh pants, she immediately blew her followers away. Monét’s windswept, wavy blond hair framed the face of a tried-and-true performer who was in some way simply getting her begin. The singer’s monumental present kicked off Spotify’s “R&B First Nights” marketing campaign, which goals to amplify the style’s rising stars by supporting their first stay present throughout choose U.S. markets. The marketing campaign, which is financially backed by Spotify’s Creator Equity Fund, may even assist U.Ok. R&B trio FLO‘s Atlanta present subsequent month as a part of their first North American tour. Funny sufficient, when Billboard requested FLO in a latest interview who they had been dying to collaborate with, the woman group named Monét.

And it comes as no shock, contemplating Monét our bodies being a triple risk. She repeatedly accentuated her property throughout her “Ass Like That” efficiency, singing about her private health journey and a man who’s completely enamored by her outcomes. The subject material hits near house, as her associate and the daddy of her 2-year-old daughter Hazel, John Gaines, is a private coach, who followers had been launched to within the whimsical, breath-taking “Moment” music video from early 2020. Both proudly watched Monét in awe among the many night’s star-studded viewers, which included Lauren Jauregui, Ambré, Muni Long, Joyce Wrice, Kelela, Ty Dolla $ign, Ravyn Lenae and extra.

She not solely earned respect from her business friends and household, but in addition her followers, who bought audibly excited on the sight of her viral dance routine to Trillville that includes Cutty Cartel’s 2004 hit “Some Cut.” The famed squeaky mattress body sounds supplied a seamless transition into her 2020 Jaguar lower “Dive,” however Monét wished to sluggish issues down much more for “Touch Me.”

Scattering spotlights showered the now-perched singer, who basked in it — a reasonably uncommon second for somebody who has spent years behind a pen, tucked away in a studio and nowhere close to a stage that will give her her personal shine aside from any celebrity she’s ever labored with in her storied profession.

Monét made positive the gang by no means forgot who she is, seducing certainly one of her feminine backup dancers to flaunt her bisexual identification throughout “F.—” as glowing pink lights crammed the 771-capacity venue with lust. She handled her day one followers with touches of nostalgia, enjoying songs off her 2018 albums, Life After Love, Pt. 1 and Pt. 2. And for one very particular fan named Aubrey, Monét introduced her up on stage to personally thank her for supporting her all of those years and gifted her a signed vinyl. She later introduced up her longtime photographer Alfredo Flores to seize the second, with the whole viewers unpromptedly throwing up a peace signal for the digital camera, probably in reference to her upcoming Jaguar II period.

“Take your phones out and light this bi— up, cause you can’t smoke in here!” Monét yelled earlier than diving into her newest, Lucky Daye-assisted single “Smoke.” Once it cleared, she payed homage to her first Jaguar venture by giving the viewers a very groovy “Experience” with technicolor lighting that mimicked a disco ball in efforts to move them straight to the ’70s. But she (actually) snapped everybody again into actuality with the identical celestial keys that performed at the beginning of the present, however this time, for “Jaguar.” If one other Austin Powers film had been to be made at present, Monét made her case for why she could be his cunning sidekick (the way in which Beyoncé as soon as performed) along with her razor sharp, but extremely fluid actions and total awe-inspiring, celebrity presence.

Triumphant trumpets blared for her grand finale and later replayed as soon as Monét returned to the stage, with an adorably surprised child Hazel in her arms, to bask on this second simply as soon as extra. “I just wanted to say thank you to my team. Thank you guys all for coming. This is a team effort. I have the name Victoria Monét, but that name is plural. It’s my team that got me here,” she stated above bouts of roaring applause, along with her group standing throughout her, together with her supervisor Rachelle Jean-Louis and producer D’Mile. “And thanks Spotify for believing in me to have this second and to kick off your ‘[R&B] First Nights.’

“I wanted to make this night extra special for you guys, too. I know you guys have been waiting for Jaguar II for a really long time,” she teased. “And because you guys sold this show out in one minute, I just wanted to give you a little sneak peek.” While taking a hefty sip from a Veuve Clicquot champagne bottle (if you recognize, you recognize), Monét performed a snippet of a brand new slinky, hip-hop-leaning observe that featured her signature funky trumpets signaling her victory lap.

Victoria Monét’s El Rey setlist:

“Moment”