Biography: Monica

Born: Monica Denise Arnold, on Oct. 24, 1980 in Oak Park, Georgia. Raised in the Atlanta, Georgia area.

Monica is the daughter of a man named M.C. Arnold, Jr. and a woman named Marilyn Best. She has a younger brother named Montez and two half-brothers on her mother's side of the family. Her parents legally divorced in 1987, although they were apart for about three years before that. Monica grew up singing in church, and at the age of 10 had joined a traveling Gospel choir. Two years later, in 1992, Monica was discovered by the Atlanta-based music producer Dallas Austin and signed her to his Rowdy Records label. Her debut album, called Miss Thang, was released in July 1995.

Due to many strong singles, including the smash hit "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)," Miss Thang was very successful sales-wise and eventually went on to sell over three million copies. During the time her debut album was riding high on the charts, Monica was finishing up her education. In 1996, at age 16, she graduated from high school, reportedly with a grade point average of 4.0. Over the course of the next year, rumors emerged that Monica was feuding with another young, highly-popular female singer - Brandy. Monica and Brandy both denied the rumors.

In 1998, Monica's second album, The Boy is Mine was released. The title track was a duet with Brandy, with the premise of the song being that the two were fighting over a guy. The singers acknowledged that song was meant as a way to further deny - and poke fun at - rumors that they didn't get along. The song was a massive hit and to date remains one of the 20 most successful singles in Billboard chart history. Over the next few years, Monica took time off from singing to explore other ventures, such as acting. But by 2002, Monica had finished recording her third album, All Eyez on Me.

Due to lackluster reaction to the first two singles (including the title track), plus heavy bootlegging, All Eyez on Me was only released in Japan and not in the United States anywhere in the rest of the world. However, Monica went back into the studio and recorded more material for the album and it was eventually revamped and released in the U.S. and abroad as After the Storm. The album included both new material as well as some salvaged songs that appeared on All Eyez on Me. To date, After the Storm has sold about a million copies in the U.S.

In July 2006, Monica's fourth U.S. album, The Makings of Me was released. Despite good reviews (including one here on About.com), the album been her least commercially-successful album so far. In an interview with About R&B Guide Mark Edward Nero, Monica said she felt that the album's first single, the crunk track "Everytime Tha Beat Drop," which features Dem Franchize Boyz, may have hurt the album by giving her fanbase the false impression that she switched her style from traditional R&B to the trendy down South crunk style which was popular at the time.

Monica has a son, named Rodney Ramone Hill III, with music producer Rodney Hill, Jr.
Monica and the rapper Ludacris (real name: Chris Bridges) are cousins.
Monica's won one Grammy - for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, in 1999 - for "The Boy Is Mine," with Brandy.