American R&B singer Monica has released 8 studio albums, one extended play, and 48 singles (including six as a featured artist). Since the beginning of her career in 1995, she has sold 5.3 million albums in the United States,[1] In 1999, Billboard included her among the top twenty of the Top Pop Artists of the 1990s,[2] and in 2010, the magazine ranked her 24th on its list of the Top 50 R&B and Hip Hop Artists of the past 25 years.[3] With a career lasting over 20 years, Monica became the first artist to top the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.[4]
Monica's debut studio album, titled Miss Thang was released in July 1995, selling about 1.5 million million copies in the United States.[5] It produced three top ten singles, including debut single "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)" and follow-up "Before You Walk Out of My Life", both of which made her the youngest artist ever to have two consecutive chart-topping hits on the BillboardHot R&B Singles chart.[6] In 1997, Monica released the top five single "For You I Will", which originated from the sports comedy film Space Jam and its soundtrack and became another platinum seller.[7] Her second album The Boy Is Mine was released in 1998 and earned her major international chart success. It peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and was certified three-times platinum in the United States and Canada.[7][8] Pushed by its same-titled number-one hit, a massive commercial success duet with fellow R&B teen singer Brandy, it spawned five commercially released singles, including further chart-topper "The First Night" and "Angel of Mine".[9]
After a label switch to J Records, Monica released After the Storm in 2003, a retooled version of her third album, All Eyez on Me (2002), which had received a Japan-wide release only after its first single's commercial failure and an early leak via the internet.[10] The album became the singer's first album to debut at number-one on the Billboard 200 chart and eventually sold more than a million copies stateside, with its single "So Gone" becoming Monica's biggest-selling singles in years.[11] Her fifth studio album, The Makings of Me, released in 2006, was considered a commercial failure and was left uncertified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[11][12]
In 2009, Monica's duet with singer Keyshia Cole, "Trust", reached the top five of Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The recording of her sixth studio album Still Standing (2010) was chronicled by her BET reality series of the same name. It spawned her biggest-charting single in seven years, "Everything to Me", her sixth number-one hit on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[11]Still Standing was eventually certified gold by the RIAA, with domestic shipments of 500,000 copies, and also produced the R&B top ten hit "Love All Over Me".[13] In 2012, Monica's seventh album New Life was released to moderate sales. Its four singles, including lead single "It All Belongs to Me", another duet with Brandy, failed to achieve any Billboard Hot 100 entry. In 2015, her eighth studio album Code Red was released.[14]
Albums
Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications
"—" denotes releases that did not chart, were not released in that country or did not receive a certification. "×" denotes periods where charts did not exist or were not archived.
As featured artist
List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
^"Still Standing" did not enter the UK Albums Chart, but debuted peaked at number 25 on the UK Hop Hop and R&B Albums Chart.[28]
^"New Life" did not enter the UK Albums Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 20 on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart.[29]
^ ab"Before You Walk Out of My Life" and "Like This and Like That" were each released as a double A-side single in the US, however, in the UK and New Zealand each song was released separately.
^ ab"Why I Love You So Much" and "Ain't Nobody" was a released as a double A-side single in the US only.
^"Street Symphony" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 20 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, which acts as a 25-song extension to the Hot 100.[44]
^"Inside" was a Europe release only but failed to chart on any official charts.
^"Knock Knock" was a B-side with "Get It Off". However, the songs charted separately as singles. "Get It Off" did not enter the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but peaked at number 3 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, which acts as a 25-song extension to the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[45]
^"Hell No (Leave Home)" did not enter the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but peaked at number 14 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, which acts as a 25-song extension to the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[45]
^"Anything (To Find You)" did not enter the Hot 100 chart, but peaked at number 19 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, which acts as a 25-song extension to the Hot 100.[44]
^"Trenches" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 32 on the Digital Song Sales Chart.[46]
^"Friends" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100 R&B/Hip Hop Songs Chart, but peaked at number 37 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Airplay Chart.
^"Letters" did not enter the US R&B Chart, but peaked at number 11 on the US R&B Digital Songs Sales Chart.
^"The Boy Is Mine (Remix)" did not enter the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart, but peaked at number 21 on the US Digital Song Sales Chart.[48]
^"Wake Up Everybody" did not enter the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but peaked at number 19 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, which acts as a 25-song extension to the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[45]
^"Gone Be Fine" did not enter the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but peaked at number 5 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, which acts as a 25-song extension to the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[45]
^"Right Here Waiting" did not enter the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but peaked at number 1 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, which acts as a 25-song extension to the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[45]
^"Too Hood" did not enter the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but peaked at number 11 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, which acts as a 25-song extension to the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[45]
Top 50 peaks: "Discography Monica". Australian-Charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
Top 100 peaks to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 192.
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