On Sunday, R&B artist and songwriter Victoria Monét took home three trophies at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, including the coveted award for Best New Artist. However, her share of golden accolades was hardly the highlight of the evening. Monét—with her boyfriend and two-year-old, Grammy-nominated daughter Hazel in tow—the “On My Mama” singer was proof that sometimes Black women can have it all and more.
The shy toddler was being held by her supportive father, John Gaines, on the red carpet. While cameras were flashing, he gave her snacks and comforted her in the background as Monét was given the chance to be front and center, posing and answering questions.
Not only was Hazel adorably matching her mother with a brownish bronze dress, but she was also the youngest nominee at the event. Last year, Hazel became the youngest Grammy nominee in history, being nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song “Hollywood.”
When Monét was asked by E! on the red carpet how she felt about sharing the evening and a historical nomination with her daughter, she responded:
“It’s really beautiful. There was a lot of fear, getting pregnant and you know going through Covid as a pregnant woman, and all of the fears are projected onto you with career balance, mom balance. To have one of my biggest moments alongside my daughter is the perfect wink from God, like you’re doing the right thing keep going. So it’s beautiful. I can’t wait to explain it to her. I don’t think she quite understands…But eventually, she’ll understand the magnitude of what she achieved.”
Hazel was born February 21, 2021, and has been trained since birth to be a star just like her mama. Over the last couple of years, Monét and Gaines have posted clips of Hazel singing her mother’s songs as well as her other favorites, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Baby Shark.” Although she didn’t win this year’s nomination, we can almost guarantee that she’ll be nominated again with her musical talents quickly developing.
The Monét said she knew that the Grammy’s could potentially be overwhelming for her toddler so earlier during Grammy’s weekend, Monét and Gaines threw an adorable kid-friendly red carpet gala to celebrate Hazel’s nomination.
Monét posted a recap video and pictures on her Instagram with the caption, “Hazel, we couldn’t be more proud of you!!! You are beautiful, you are smart, you really CAN conquer anything, and you will. We love you and can’t wait to show you all of these beautiful moments when you can understand.”