Monica Talks Teaming Up With Ariana Grande for ‘The Boy Is Mine’ Remix

Monica is eternally grateful to Ariana Grande for reuniting her and Brandy for “The Boy Is Mine” remix. 

Speaking with ET’s Denny Directo forward of the discharge of the transforming of Grande’s newest hit — which is impressed by the 1998 collab from Brandy, 45, and Monica, 43 — the “So Gone” crooner shared that whereas she’s traditionally been in opposition to remixes of their “sacred” undertaking, Grande’s reimagining was one thing fully totally different to her. 

“I’ve all the time mentioned that the music shouldn’t be touched, proper? And I mentioned that as a result of I felt that it didn’t have to be redone within the concept of, as an example, truly doing it the precise means that it was,” the GRAMMY Award-winning artist defined. “However Ariana and [producer] Max Martin — as quickly as I heard this model, I fell in love with it.”

Of 30-year-old Grande, Monica added, “What I’m so amazed by is her humility, her compassion. On the day that we recorded, I acquired flowers and a observe that was instantly from her. Every part has been instantly from her chest and, for me, authenticity, humility, all of these issues are key.”

For Monica, that included FaceTime periods with Grande as they had been engaged on the music, which in the end ended up together with each of their households and helped her really feel the “authenticity” of the collaboration and Grande’s curiosity in paying homage to their music.

She says it was that enthusiasm from the singer-songwriter that bought her on getting the band again collectively not just for the extremely anticipated remix, however the just lately launched music video.

Within the freshly-dropped visuals, Brandy and Monica make a surprise appearance as Grande, in character, concocts a love potion to make a fictional mayor, performed by Gossip Woman‘s Penn Badgley, fall for her.

Earlier than the music video formally takes off, although, the 2 ’90s singers grace the display screen as Grande watches a information report in regards to the metropolis’s rat infestation on TV. The printed shortly cuts to the R&B duo as they introduce the mayor’s phase.

Monica tells ET that the method of bringing the unique “The Boy Is Mine” singers began with the “7 Rings” creator and that she couldn’t have been extra humbled and type when it got here to approaching the supply materials. Monica additionally says that in some methods, it helped to construct a bridge between her and her earlier collaborator, who had been long-rumored to have beef. 

“The method of the brand new collaboration did a variety of closing the gaps,” Monica mentioned. “If you correctly talk, one thing — you’ll find not solely the resolutions and options to issues — however typically you discover that there weren’t ever issues, simply constant miscommunications.”

She continued, “It made it lots simpler simply to speak.”

The unique “The Boy Is Mine” music was an enormous hit, however its reputation was additionally fueled by the rumored feud between the 2 singers. In 2020, ET met exclusively with the superstars after their Verzuz battle and so they put rumors of their on-line pressure to relaxation.

“It was not one thing that I’d say was anybody’s fault,” Monica informed ET of the pair’s rocky relationship, admitting on the time, “All of us added to it, and after some time, it turned actual.”

“It is over now. And it took a really grownup dialog. There is not any disgrace in saying that,” Monica later added. “We needed to come to that place and to that second that we had, that allowed us to sit down right here at this time. That needed to occur first.”

Within the new sit-down with ET, Monica echoed her earlier statements and shared that whereas their relationship was not totally healed again then, working with Grande and coming collectively at new factors of their lives — now not as youngsters — has made all of the distinction for them, a lot in order that they’ve talked extra in current weeks than they’ve in “the final twenty years.”

“We acknowledged that the important thing was to maintain different individuals out of our relationship, each enterprise and private, and let it’s between she and I, and that has modified all the pieces. It is modified the trajectory of it in its totality,” she said. “My son was within the hospital the opposite day and she or he was who I used to be talking to whereas he was there, so I believe that’s what Ariana has carried out that she could not even notice.”

Monica continued, “However this time, I thank God for development and alter and simply turning into a mother and experiencing a variety of what I’ve and studying to correctly talk.”

Again in February, ET spoke with Monica at Clive Davis’ annual pre-GRAMMY Gala and she or he teased that she could be greater than right down to doubtlessly workforce up with the Moesha star ought to the scenario really feel proper. 

“I consider something is feasible. We’re each grownup ladies now who totally perceive the enterprise and the way a lot we each imply to it and the way a lot it means after we come collectively,” she mentioned on the time. “Something is feasible, something. I say that with my coronary heart.”

Fortunately, that collaboration has arrived. Monica says that whereas everybody else is clearly prepared to listen to it, she is most excited to see the reactions from the followers who’ve waited patiently for one of these second. 

“I can not look ahead to you all to listen to it. Y’all gonna go loopy, I am going loopy each time I hearken to it. I let my youngsters hear it this morning for the primary time,” Monica shared. 

Monica is mother to a few youngsters, Laiyah, 10, Romelo, 16, and Rocko, 19, and stepmom to Ramone, 28, from her relationship with ex Rodney Hill. Her youngsters gave the collaboration an emphatic stamp of approval, with Monica telling ET, “My 19-year-old, Rocko, was like, ‘That is arduous.'”

Shoutout to Queen Ari for placing within the work to get this carried out! And for anybody hoping that Brandy and Monica could reunite once more sooner or later, Monica says that something is feasible.

“There’s a probability, there may be for certain,” she mentioned, including that they’re “very a lot on board” for an additional undertaking, music or the rest. “It is workforce ‘The Boy Is Mine’ at this time, tomorrow, and for the final 25 years. We’ve a variety of catching as much as do within the sense of giving the viewers what they actually needed from us even again then. We did not discover a solution to do it then, however we’re discovering a solution to do it now.”

And for the singer who believes fan service is paramount, this remix is a means for them to lastly convey collectively their fanbases.

“Through the years, one factor Brandy and I all the time had in frequent is that what we did, we did it for the individuals. It was by no means nearly or for us. So it is like she’s actually, actually bringing these two worlds collectively which have by no means been introduced collectively in such an exquisite means and I hope it does the identical factor for the followers,” Monica mentioned. “I hope it lastly permits individuals to see that you could possibly love each or you could possibly love one and never should put the opposite down. It is a collaborative unit that’s unbreakable at this level.”

She added that her hope is for followers to “have enjoyable to this document as a result of it’s actually the rebirth of ‘The Boy Is Mine’ in such a particular means.”

Grande’s “The Boy Is Mine” remix that includes Brandy and Monica is out on June 21. 

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