In an industry where new artists often feel pressure to maintain a luxurious image, Grammy-winning artist Victoria Monét with her first major publishing deal advance. As she explains it plainly in a sit down interview with Visa CMO Frank Cooper: “I didn’t go buy a fancy car or house..
. I took that money and I spent it on a tour.” The decision came at a pivotal moment in her career, and Monét approached it with remarkable practicality.
With the $150,000 advance in hand, she created her own support system from scratch. “I didn’t have a management team, I didn’t have a hairstylist. I was doing my hair, doing my makeup,” she recalls.
Taking DIY to the next level, “I brought my cousin on tour to take the photos and make sure that the footage got everywhere.” Her resourceful approach extended to the nuts and bolts of touring. Together with her mother’s help, she handled tour routing herself, securing spots opening for major acts like Fifth Harmony and eventually Ariana Grande on her Dangerous Woman Tour.
The investment proved transformative: “I think it became a place where a lot of people discovered who I am,” she reflects, “just building on that fan base and building on that fan base and slowly converting them into my world.” Not everyone understood her choices at the time. “Maybe to some people they’re like, ‘You just got this deal.
Why aren’t you in a good apartment? Why is your car like that?'” she remembers. “But then you’re on to.
