Victoria Monét Performs ‘On My Mama’ at Billboard Women in Music 2024: ‘I Plan to Be Here for a While’

Following a vibrant performance of her R&B/hip-hop hit single “On My Mama” at the 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards on Wednesday night (March 6), Victoria Monét amplified why she was honored with the Rising Star Award. The Grammy Awards’ newly crowned best new artist set the tone for an evening filled with inspiration, empowerment, triumph and thank yous.

Introduced by singer/songwriter JoJo, Monét and her four female dancers literally kicked off the proceedings with their opening performance of “Mama,” the third single from her debut album Jaguar II. Dressed in sparkly jeans with a sheer orange scarf tied at the side, a brown corset top and boots, Monét joined the quartet in a high-energy dance routine that drew multiple audience cheers and shout-outs.

As the now three-time Grammy winner got into the full swing of the self-affirming song’s chorus — “I put that on my own mama, on my ‘hood/ I look fly, I look good/ You can’t touch my bag, wish you could” — her waist-length ponytail swung in unison under the singer/songwriter’s brown baseball cap.

Equally moving was Monét’s acceptance speech — heightened by her mother’s surprise appearance as the Rising Star Award presenter. “Hi, I’m L’Tanya Chestang-Cubit, also known as Mommy Monét … [and] tonight is a testament to your remarkable abilities,” she said in part before a breathless Monét ran back onstage to spirited applause and hugged her.

“It’s one thing to receive an award but to receive it from someone you’ve known your whole life is really awesome,” said an emotional Monét, who’s also mom to toddler daughter Hazel. When the 66th Grammy nominations were announced last November, Hazel became the youngest ever nominee for best traditional R&B performance alongside her mom for “Hollywood,” also featuring Earth, Wind & Fire.

Further underscoring the significance of the evening, Monét added, “There are so many stars in this room, behind the scenes [and] in front of the curtains. So I want to shout out to all of you women in here who are sometimes doing the thankless jobs. Thank you, Billboard, for acknowledging me and seeing me. I also love that as a rising star, [I’m] not a shooting star because shooting stars are here and gone much too fast. I plan to be here for a while.”