Victoria Monét’s ‘Frequency of Love’ aims to strike the optimal sonic vibration

NEW YORK (AP) — Victoria Monét won’t take it personally if you call her upcoming album a comeback, even though it has only been a three-year break.

“It should be normal to take time to create your next album. I know we live in a world where we want everything fast,” the three-time Grammy winner said in an interview with The Associated Press. For inspiration, she said she had to let life take its course.

“I’m OK with people asking for more music or feeling like, ‘Dang, I missed her.’ Or this is a comeback, because that makes me feel like there was a gap in time where they noticed that I was gone,” the artist said.

The “On My Mama” singer returns Friday with “Frequency of Love,” a 22-track studio project that follows her Grammy-winning “Jaguar II,” which she made in 2023.

The new album is powered by singles like the house-flavored “Reach Out,” yacht R&B-inspired “Juicy” and “Let Me,” which is a slow jam that already reached No. 1 on Billboard’s adult R&B airplay chart. Some of the new work features heavyweights Bruno Mars and SZA, as well as R&B hitmakers Bryson Tiller, Leon Thomas and Chlöe Bailey.

“I’m really, really, really passionate about love. ... A lot of it was just reflective of what I was going through or feeling while dating,” said Monét, who originally considered creating a yacht-R&B album. “The album covers many bases, including love for my daughter, love for the world, what I want to see for it.”

“Frequency of Love,” executive produced by Camper, takes listeners on a sonic excursion beyond romance, with several interpolations of classic '90s R&B songs skillfully peppered throughout.

“Almost,” which includes a reference to Brandy’s “Almost Doesn’t Count,” is a sensual take on feeling sexually unsatisfied, while “For You” reimagines Kenny Lattimore’s classic romantic ballad. “Care for Somebody (Interlude)” is Monét's rendition of a song she first encountered as a child while watching Halle Berry in “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge” with her grandmother.

Michael Jackson’s musical growth between “Off the Wall” and “Thriller” inspired Monét’s creative process. While she’s quick to halt any comparison to the commercial and critical acclaim of one of music’s most prolific artists, she aimed to channel the same risk-taking artistry.

“I did not make ‘Thriller,’” Monét said. “I just made my version of what I would make with that mindset.”

The singer, 37, is keenly aware of heightened expectations. But she was slightly unprepared for some negativity that followed her 2024 Grammy wins for best new artist, best R&B album and best non-classical engineered album.

“I think there was a flip from me being an underdog that everyone wanted to support,” she said. “If I get millions of supporters, I can also have millions of haters. But who am I paying attention to? And that’s what the album for me is about.”

Recently serving as a special guest on the European stretch of Bruno Mars’ “The Romantic” tour, Monét is gearing up for her own “Frequency of Love” dates, visiting 27 North American cities starting in late October.

After beginning her career penning songs for Ariana Grande, Blackpink, Chloe x Halle and Selena Gomez, Monét is still interested in writing collaborations and working with “unexpected” artists. She also dreams of writing scripted TV and film projects, including a comedy.

A creative at heart, Monét also recently graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education as its top student. During class, she’d listen to music associated with the country of the dish she was preparing. Often bringing meals to her production team during recording sessions, she says the vibes of the international music, and the camaraderie that food and fellowship can bring, would influence some of the sonic tones of her songs.

So why would a performer at the height of her career become a chef?

“Maybe rebellion. ... I want to do something that I don’t get paid for, that I’m not defined by,” said Monét. “You don’t have to make your schedule around only the things that clearly pay you. And you never know where it will take you.”

“Frequency of Love” will largely dictate where her career is headed next. But Monét hopes to move with intention and a spirit of gratitude, which she's prioritizing throughout her life.

“I went through a moment where I was critical of everything. I was looking around and seeing what could be better: criticizing myself, the workplace, the state of my mood, the state of music, state of voice, my body, just nitpicking everything,” she said. “And so, it’s really been a journey to come to a place where I can operate in that shift — that paradigm shift — that makes me OK with everything that is, and also OK with everything that is going to come.”

Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.