Monica helped META, formerly known as Facebook, celebrate Black History Month with a special performance.
The legendary R&B singer opened her 20-minute set with her 1994 debut single “Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days),” lifted from Miss Thang. Moments later, she transitioned to her 2003 anthem “So Gone.”
“I am so honored to be here and to have my musical family with me. META, thank you for having us. It has been an incredible long journey and I thank all of you for participating in everything that we do, that we’re able to bring it to the people through you. This unplugged jam session of sorts is absolutely for all of you,” Monica said after performing the latter track.
Monica, supported by four background singers and a band, went on to perform other songs from her catalog, including “Angel of Mine,” “Love All Over Me” and “Everything to Me.”
Halfway through her set, Monica paid homage to Erykah Badu with a cover of “Tyrone.”
“Y’all know that it is hard to be a person of honor, especially a woman of honor in today’s world. I just want to take a second and kind of pay homage to somebody that I absolutely love and respect and enjoy because she is the truest form of herself, and she’s clear when other people are not in true form, which is something that I admire,” said Monica. “I love the way she tells the story, so I’m going to tell it to you.”
After breezing through her iconic duet with Brandy, “Boy Is Mine,” Monica performed “Before You Walk Out of My Life” and closed with “Why I Love You So Much.”
Monica has been hard at work on her follow-up to her 2015 album, Code Red. In a Facebook post last year, Monica announced that her upcoming album, Trenches, was “finally done.” The album was initially set to release in 2020 but was delayed.
In February, Monica tweeted to Rated R&B an update on her highly-awaited album. “So much happened in my life over the last few years! The delays brought about some incredible records! Adversity & Pain, I simply sang through! It’s coming,” she confirmed to Rated R&B.
Me too, FINALLY 🤣 so much happened in my life over the last few years ! The delays brought about some incredible records ! Adversity & Pain , I simply sang through ! It’s coming ♥️
RT @RatedRnB: @MonicaDenise We’re ready for the new album, Mo. 😩— Monica (@MonicaDenise) February 23, 2022
Not only does Monica have an R&B album in the works, she’s also working on a country project. In a 2021 interview with Billboard, Monica confirmed that she was in the studio with Brandi Carlile.
“I felt like this was a great time for me to really step into an area that I’ve always admired and loved,” she said. “We’re just getting started, but I have so enjoyed it and been welcomed with open arms.”
Aside from working on her albums, Monica has collaborated with a few artists over the last couple of years. In 2020, ahead of her Verzuz celebration with Brandy, she released her Lil Baby-assisted track “Trenches,” produced by The Neptunes.
She later joined A$AP Ferg on his song “Big A$AP,” and appeared on a charity single called “Pink” with Dolly Parton, Jordin Sparks, Rita Wilson and Sara Evans.
In 2021, Monica teamed with country singer Jimmie Allen for his emotional song “Pray” along with country group Little Big Town.
Watch Monica’s META performance below.