Alongside Brandy, Monica was the most successful of the new breed of urban R&B female vocalists to emerge in the mid-to late 90s. Monica Arnold grew up in the College Park suburb of Atlanta, and was immersed in gospel music from an early age. Her mother was a church singer, and by the age of 10 Monica was the youngest member of a travelling 12-piece choir called Charles Thompson And The Majestics. She also began performing at the Atlanta talent showcases held at Center Stage Auditorium, singing a cover version of Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love Of All".

The 12-year old singer was discovered at one of these showcases by Rowdy Records executive Dallas Austin, who had previously worked with big-name artists such as TLC, Grace Jones and Madonna. Label boss Clive Davis signed her up to Arista Records, and Austin and his production team oversaw her first recordings. Her first single, "Don't Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days)", topped the Billboard R&B chart in June 1995, and climbed to the number 2 slot on the national chart a month later. The follow-up, "Before You Walk Out Of My Life", was another R&B chart-topper and reached number 7 on the Hot 100 in December. With a full-time tutor as part of her entourage, Monica embarked on promotional tours in support of her debut album, featuring on bills with artists such as TLC, Keith Sweat and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Miss Thang broke into the Top 40 in August 1995, and had soon followed her debut singles in achieving platinum sales. Further hit singles followed with "Why I Love You So Much"/"Ain't Nobody" (number 9 in July 1996), and the Diane Warren-penned "For You I Will" (number 4 in April 1997), taken from the bestselling Lost In Space soundtrack.

Her second album, which debuted at US number 8 in August, was produced and co-written by Austin and Rodney Jerkins, with contributions from hot writer/producers Jermaine Dupri and Darryl Simmons. Monica became the youngest artist ever to have a US number 1 (aged 14) when her sparky duet with Brandy, "The Boy Is Mine", topped the charts. The song eventually spent 13 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, in the process becoming the all-time number one female duet in US chart history. The song was also a huge international hit. "The First Night", written by Dupri, topped the US charts in October and reached the UK Top 10. "Angel Of Mine", a cover version of Eternal's 1997 UK hit, became Monica's third US chart-topper in February 1999.

--VH-1