Victoria Monét won her long overdue first Grammy on Sunday night (Feb. 4), beating Noah Kahan, Jelly Roll and Ice Spice, among others, for the coveted best new artist trophy. She also won best R&B album for Jaguar II and best engineered album, non-classical.
In a red carpet interview with Entertainment Tonight, Monét saw Ariana Grande’s Instagram Story for the first time, in which her longtime friend and musical collaborator gushed over the big win. “My friend, you deserve this one million times over,” Grande wrote on her Instagram Stories. “I am so deeply proud of and happy for you there are no words. You have worked so hard and given so much of yourself to this industry for so, so long while quietly being in your absolute own league. We’ve talked about this happening since the day we met and over many tour bus sleepovers.”
Upon seeing the post, Monet began tearing up. “Oh my God, I do not want to cry,” she said. “I love you Ari. If you’re hearing this, I love you so much. Thank you for being a believer and supporting me from the very beginning. You knew things that other people didn’t know and saw things in me that other people didn’t see. You’ve been so ride or die, so this is my love letter to you.”
Monét has co-written some of Grande’s biggest songs, including “Thank U, Next,” “Needy” and “Be Alright.” The duo also teamed up for their own collaboration, 2019’s “Monopoly.”
See the sweet moment below.