Monica

A hugely successful US R&B star, Monica has sold over 20 million albums and scored a string of hits with her brand of sultry, urban, pop ballads. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, she learned to sing in church choirs and joined touring gospel group Charles Thompson And The Majestics as a 10-year-old. Discovered by producer Dallas Austin, her debut album Miss Thang (1995) produced the US Top 10 hits Don't Take It Personal, Like This & Like That and Before You Walk Out Of My Life as Monica quickly became a star of the New Jack Swing scene. International fame came when The Boy Is Mine - her collaboration with fellow teenage soul starlet Brandy - topped the US charts for 13 weeks; while follow-up singles The First Night and Angel Of Mine and album After The Storm also made it Number 1. Tragedy struck when her boyfriend committed suicide, shooting himself in front of Monica, but she returned with successful albums The Makings of Me (2006), Still Standing (2010) and New Life (2012). Monica has also done some acting, making her debut in Love Song (2000), going on to appear in Felicity (2001) and American Dreams (2003), in which she played Mary Wells singing My Guy. She was also the star of the reality TV show Monica: The Single.