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00:00I don't really fancy the eggplant emoji, like, please don't ever, ever send me an eggplant,
00:07please. What's up, you guys? It's your girl, Victoria Monet, and this is The Breakdown.
00:22So when I came into the studio the day we made SOS, I had no idea what was going to happen. I was
00:29just working with my dear friend, DJ Camper. We had been in for probably like a week and a half
00:35at this time, making so many magical ideas. So the flow of energy was just feeling really great.
00:42We'd known each other for a really long time, but we'd never locked in like that
00:45for my music. So it was really fun. So yes, SOS came as like a magical surprise, really,
00:53just trying things, you know, experimenting in the studio and just doing what we do as writers,
00:59producers, artists, you know. I think when you're working with your friends, it just takes that
01:05corporate feeling out of it. Sometimes when you go to sessions, people are like,
01:09so what you've been working on? It's like a common question. And like, it's kind of like
01:15a pain, you know what I mean? And when you work with your friends, none of that is really
01:19happening. Like you may share music that you've been working on out of excitement,
01:23but it doesn't feel like an icebreaker that you have to do for the first 10 minutes of the session
01:27just to get to a comfortable place to be creative. So I really love working with friends just because
01:33music is so personal. It's like a spiritual experience to me. And it's nice when you
01:40don't have to explain your emotions, you just do. So the beginning of the song,
01:45which sounds like a sample, I'm so impressed because there is no sample throughout the entire
01:50song. I feel like that's one of the genius parts about DJ Camper is he makes something that feels
01:59so timeless that you would assume that it's from ages ago because music was so quality and live
02:06feeling. A lot of people would take it and pitch it down or, you know, do certain manipulations
02:11included in today's work. But yeah, sample free, banger. I love it. Shout out to DJ Camper for
02:17this. DJ Camper knows that I love to work from scratch. So he was just playing me when we first
02:23got to the studio, just scratch ideas that aren't complete, which I prefer just so that I can do the
02:29top line. And then maybe he adds things after that, just led by my top line and direction.
02:35And just so I have more space musically to do what I want. So he was just playing
02:39ideas. And literally the first day that we worked, this is the first idea he played me.
02:44So at the time I was just making a folder because he played me a bunch of ideas. I was like,
02:48I love that. Put it in a folder, plays another idea. I love that. Put it in a folder. A week
02:52or so passes and we're still working together. And we come back to this idea because it's in
02:57the folder of things that I like. And I was back and forth between two rooms. I believe D-Mile and
03:03someone else was in another room working. So I was kind of bouncing back and forth just to see,
03:07you know, where my energy was drawn. I came into the room and there was a writer named Church
03:14there. And he had written to this beat that I like. At the time, I believe it was around
03:20Lovers and Friends Festival. So I was like studying Confessions. I went back into a
03:25Confessions rabbit hole and just re-listening to that album top to bottom and just like
03:30being so blown away again by the art and craft of this body of work.
03:35And so when I went into the booth, I was like, hmm, I'm feeling like something
03:41sensual, like seduction. So I literally play, I pull up in my phone and play seduction into
03:48the booth because Church, the writer was like, seduction, like, I think he started singing
03:54sensual seduction. And I was like, no, no, no, usher seduction. So I start playing it into the
04:01the microphone of the booth. And I was like trying to think of a different melody that
04:09then he had done. And so I took some of his words and integrated it into my melody and hook.
04:17So he really made it a lot easier for me because I liked a lot of the words he was already saying
04:22and just like took it a different direction. And I kid you not, probably like,
04:29I want to say like an hour later as I'm in the booth, just trying to just figure things out,
04:34usher calls. And I was like, what the fuck is going on? And like the energy is just like,
04:40what? Because sometimes I feel like we can really manifest if we really focus on something,
04:45we can manifest its existence. And I say it all the time, but that was like,
04:50creepy. I was like, no, no, no, no. What the hell? Is my phone tapped? You know what I mean?
04:55Like, I didn't know I was playing this, but he was coming over to work on another song we have
04:59because there is another Usher and Victoria collaboration. So he comes to the studio to
05:04work on another song, which I can't wait to tell you guys the title. It's a really cool vibe.
05:11And by the time he gets there, I had just done like a scratch vocal on for S.O.S. And it was
05:16just the hook at the time. So, of course, Usher comes in. I'm working on Pro Tools and he's like,
05:22let me hear what you're working on. I'm like, oh shit, let me get my shit together. So I start
05:26comping. I was like, just give me like two minutes. So I start comping the vocals to S.O.S.
05:30And then I took my headphones off and I played it and he was with two other people
05:36and everyone in the room was vibing. And so after the hook went off, I see Usher in the corner,
05:42like singing the hook and then starts mumbling something else. So I look at DJ Camper. I was
05:47like, hmm. We were like, I think he should try something to this. I know we have another song,
05:54but like, there's no rules. Like, let's see. So I asked him, I was like, do you want to just
05:58try and go into the booth and try things? He was like, yeah. So he starts trying this melody,
06:05which ends up being the first verse or second verse, his verse of the song.
06:09If I can make the time, I'll be good to go.
06:13Comes out, we start writing lyrics to it together and it just felt like, I want to
06:19like look up the definition of this word because I'm not quite sure, but it feels like the right
06:22word to use right now. Serendipitous. It feels very serendipitous. So yeah, it just kind of
06:31fell together into our laps on a magical day at the studio. It was so cool. One thing that I don't
06:37know if people hear, but maybe they do and they just like, they're like, oh yeah, duh. But I like
06:42that there's a watch this in Usher's verse. Because like, I feel like it was such a thing
06:48in Tiny Desk. To have it in the song after that, I feel like that's the first time. I want to say
06:58this the first time he said it in a song since Tiny Desk. So it feels like a badge of honor.
07:03It's like, yes, we got the tag. It's like a producer tag. So that was really cool. And I like
07:10the first verse a lot. I like the first verse. One of the things that I feel like maybe a little
07:19bit underrated about the first verse is the last line. And I'm ready, so don't make me have to do
07:26this on my own because I feel like it says, whether you come or not, I'm getting it done,
07:32babe. So you can either join the party or not. So it just reinforces the fact that women or people
07:41can get what they want on their own, but it's also nice to collaborate.
07:46So yeah, I like that line. I like also the idea behind SOS is I remembered that emoji
07:55and I'm like, I want it to be a thing. Like if you send that to your partner
08:00or whoever you're dating or a couple of people and let them audition, you send the SOS emoji
08:06and you see who shows up at your door and it's fun. It's just a new way to summon your lover.
08:13I don't really fancy the eggplant emoji. Please don't ever, ever send me the eggplant, please.
08:24So that one's off limits for me. I probably would not respond.
08:27You know, it was really hard to decide between if SOS should be on the deluxe or on a new project
08:36because I am definitely in a new head space and I feel like
08:40Grammys feel like a good ending to a chapter.
08:49But I was still making music that felt like of the same fabric of Jaguar,
08:54and especially with the horns as a through line.
09:03It just sounds so big.
09:05Also just the year that I've had, I wanted to commemorate it in a great way. So I do feel like
09:13it could have gone on Jaguar too, but because of Usher, it almost feels like it elevates my brand
09:23and just gives a really amazing cosign to what I've already done. And it is a nice way to close
09:32a chapter. I feel like the past 365 days have aligned a lot with what Usher is doing. I feel
09:40like going to the residency, being inspired by that performance, and then going on to see him
09:47at the Superbowl, being inspired by that. All of these things are on my goals list.
09:53So I'm looking at somebody who has things that I'm aspiring to have, and now I have
09:59the ability to create something with them and manifest certain things together. So I'm hoping
10:04that this song could bring us a Grammy this year. That's my manifestation next.
10:13And surprisingly, they're telling me he's never won R&B song. How, Sway? That doesn't make any
10:21sense. So hopefully that comes for him either on his own or maybe with this. Let's start writing
10:28it down. But I do feel like it's a really great way to close the book on Jaguar too. Not that I
10:34won't ever make music that is reminiscent of what I've made before because it's just who I am,
10:39but I feel like all of the instrumentation that is in SOS just feels so warm. And a lot of what
10:46Jaguar is is about that warmth of the rainforest. We got rain sounds in there. We got horns in
10:53there. We got legends on there. DJ Camper wasn't able to be a part of Jaguar 2, so it all just
10:58feels really like a yes. And where's the rain?
11:09Here's the rain.
11:14Got to have the rain after he says, ready for the rain. Usher leads. So it's just really cool
11:22to vibe out with your friends and people or people you're inspired by or you've been looking up to
11:29for, I don't know, most of your life. Usher's career is 30 plus years. He just celebrated
11:3430 years of his first album not long ago. So it's just like, first of all, mind-blowing that
11:40he is still feeling so fresh and new and able to reinvent without feeling like we don't know him.
11:48It's like, we're not bored of this person and this art that he creates, but we also feel still
11:53interested in what he has to say, his point of view, his voice. It's crazy. So the studio session
12:00felt really special and organic and I was very excited. The little girl in me is like, what? I
12:06get to work with this amazing musician who can do anything that I can think of and way more.
12:12And also this artist that, he had my high school song. My boo was my jam. So just to be able to
12:21collaborate in this way just feels so special. So you don't really get those opportunities because
12:27legends, sometimes they're not available. They don't want to do songs with new people. So
12:33just thankful. To be even mentioned alongside some of the artists I mentioned alongside my peers,
12:39it's just really special. And I know that we have a really big job to do to keep R&B fresh and alive.
12:45And though it feels natural to us, it is a heavy weight because I think there's been a lot of
12:52narratives where people have said ridiculous things like, R&B is dead, which that's old news
13:00and we've proven time and time again that that's not true. Or slow jams, it's boring. People want
13:07to hear, in a world of TikTok where people want to hear the sped up version of a slow song,
13:12the roots are R&B. It's rhythm and blues. All across pop music, in rock, in every genre you
13:20can find hints of R&B and roots, just things rooted in R&B culture. So it's an honor to carry
13:31any part of that weight and just make it feel good in my own way. I think there was a time
13:38in my life where I wasn't sure if my type of R&B was too old school because I love
13:46retro classics. I love the 70s. R&B, I love live instrumentation. And we're in a digital world
13:53right now where you can just press a couple buttons and now you've got chords. Or AI can
13:58do it for you. So I'm finding a lot of value in people still appreciating it. And I love that
14:04it's being received, especially by the little ones because I'm like, oh my God, there's hope.
14:09I see a beacon of hope because I just can't imagine a world where people don't practice
14:15instruments anymore or sing with runs or soul or take anything from church. The praise and worship
14:24feeling is all across music today and it's because it's spiritual and people can connect to it. So
14:30I'm honored to be a part of this class.
14:41Yes. I think comfortability comes with time and also less regard for what other people think.
14:51And so I had to learn that over time, not to care so much beyond what's in the studio,
14:57what's happening in the studio and just express, even if it's just almost viewed to myself like a
15:05diary entry that no one may hear because there's so many songs that no one hears. So I just learned
15:11to make things for the sake of making them for the art, not necessarily to be number one on
15:18Hot 100, though it would be nice. I'm just not... F-U-C-K, if I'm saying the F word in a song,
15:31it makes it a little bit harder to mark it and I know that. Or for a moment music video,
15:36my whole ass is hot. YouTube can't put ads on that. You're going to have to find it organically,
15:41so I just have to... But for the sake of the art, I made it. So I think it came with a lot of...
15:49It comes with a lot of releasing the expectations and too much regard for what other people may say,
15:57like my mom, like the church, like anybody who's trying to cover their children's ears.
16:04I'm sorry, but I think it's fair for everybody to be able to express themselves naturally in
16:10whatever that means. I need to hear this in like a college game, college halftime.
16:21Come on, Grambling. Come on, Southern.
16:28Hey.