Monica is back. The legendary singer has returned with “Letters,” a new song she co-wrote alongside Tasha Catour, Ciara, Alicia Renee Williams and Brian “Killah B” Bates.
Monica recognizes on the song produced by Catour and Dana Johnson that she won’t be able to find another man who will love and support her like the one who is currently incarcerated.
She came to understand this when she had other would-be partners fill his place temporarily but didn’t feel the same chemistry.
“They can’t love you like I love you sounds so cliché / But when you say that to me, it just rings so truthfully / Had a couple substitutes, but they ain’t the real thing / Comparing everyone I get to the one can’t be replaced,” Monica sings.
“Letters” is the follow-up to Monica’s previously shared tracks “Friends” with Ty Dolla $ign and “Trenches” featuring Lil Baby.
An official music video accompanied both tracks. The latter track peaked at No. 12 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart, while the former track became Monica’s first song under her MonDeenise Music Inc. imprint to reach the top 20 on urban radio.
All three songs are expected to appear on Monica’s hugely-anticipated album Trenches, which has been in the works since 2018 and initially titled Chapter 38.
Since then, Monica entered the studio with PJ Morton, Nova Wav, Tank, The Neptunes, Missy Elliott, and London on da Track.
It is still uncertain whether the tracks created with the mentioned collaborators will be included in the final tracklist of Trenches.
Monica confirmed the completion of the album last year, but it has not been released in its entirety yet.
R&B aside, Monica is collaborating with Brandi Carlile for a country album titled Open Roads. Carlile will serve as executive producer.
“I felt like this was a great time for me to really step into an area that I’ve always admired and loved,” Monica told Billboard in an August 2021 interview. “We’re just getting started, but I have so enjoyed it and been welcomed with open arms.”
No release date has yet been revealed for Open Roads.
While Monica gears up for the arrival of Trenches and Open Roads, she is also hosting her own radio show on Apple Music called MoTalk.
The program was initially scheduled to debut in September 2020 but was recently launched with former basketball player Shaquille O’Neal as the first guest.
The next episode features country star Mickey Guyton and airs July 1.
Listen to Monica’s new song “Letters” below.