Grammy-winning artist says she was encouraged to have an abortion after unexpected pregnancy
R&B singer-and-songwriter Victoria Monét revealed she was pressured to have an abortion after learning she was pregnant with her daughter, during an appearance on former First Lady Michelle Obama’s podcast on Wednesday.
Monét, who won Grammys in 2024 for best new artist, best R&B album and best engineered album, shared about how motherhood impacted her career after giving birth to her daughter Hazel in 2021.
Not everyone in her professional circle was supportive of her pregnancy, she recalled. The singer explained it was difficult to share the celebratory news because she understood it might not be received well by her business associates.
"So when I got pregnant, I was an independent artist. I was working with this company called Platoon working out of the UK. And when you're an artist, though you're a human, you're technically the business," Monét said on the podcast. "So, to have to explain to someone who is a partner in your business that your business may slow down because of pregnancy, is difficult, but it's also something that you're supposed to feel celebratory about."
Platoon is a London-based music distribution and creative services company which helps boost independent artists before they sign deals with major labels.
After breaking the news to her business partner over Zoom, Monét said she was given a presentation telling her how difficult and expensive it was to raise a child.
"In retrospect, it was really, really disheartening," Monét admitted. "I had a person on my team, though the intentions were good, really, really hurt my feelings because they made a PowerPoint presentation to me about how difficult it will [sic] be for me."
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"And the finale of the presentation was, what's the rush? So, it felt like an encouragement to get an abortion. So that was really, really hurtful," she shared.
Monét called it a "very emotional" experience but said it left her with a "fight" to prove that motherhood didn’t have to derail her career.
"And I walked out of that meeting…with that same fight that I had when I left home. I’m going to do this. It’s my body, and I’m going to make it work even if it’s hard," she recalled.
She didn’t believe the person meant to "harm" her but wanted her to understand that having a child was a "big decision" that would impact her career.
Ultimately, the incident came "full circle," she explained, because one of her most popular songs, "On My Mama," she wrote about becoming a mother.
"She's been the biggest blessing," Monét said of her daughter. "I had these preconceived notions that having a child would suspend my career or make things even more difficult, but God just was like, ‘nope,’ but it's been so fun."
Fox News Digital reached out to Platoon for comment.