10 minutes with Victoria Monet as she prepares for the second weekend of Coachella

Victoria Monet is having her moment.

Fresh off winning multiple Grammy Awards, the singer reached one other milestone in her solo profession by closing out the Coachella stage. Her performance during Weekend 1 delighted her die-hard fans and won the hearts of many other viewers and live streams as she performed her hits.

ESSENCE caught up with Monét as she prepared to enter the iconic Heineken House and storm the Mojave stage once more during the festival’s second weekend to speak about nerves, improvement, and staying present on this magical moment.

First of all, congratulations in your first performance at Coachella! How did you’re feeling whenever you first stepped on the Coachella stage last weekend? You’re obviously a veteran, but did you experience any stage fright on a stage of this size?

I used to be definitely quite nervous. I know the way big Coachella is and you discover out about being part of the lineup in the summer, so I’ve been looking forward to the show for a protracted time.

So there’s quite a bit of emotion and it was very exciting, even knowing who had done it before. Having been in the audience at previous Coachellas and watching other people, I just desired to ensure that I evoked the same feeling. Overall there was quite a bit of excitement and nervousness, but it surely was really fun.

It’s like a celebration of all festivals. So it was definitely a dream come true.

Are you a “Coachella mom”? Over the years, we now have noticed that it’s becoming an increasing number of common to take babies with us. Did you bring Baby Hazel with you to see the show or did she stay home for the show?

She’s been in quite a bit of rehearsals, but this weekend at Coachella I assumed it might be best if she stayed home since it’s a couple of three-hour drive after which I would not be taking her to the festival, I’d actually be going to Palm Springs to hang around in home. My mom got here to look at it so she had some Grandma time, but she apparently watched the show and was locked out for 45 minutes of my live set. So she was still an element of him. She also appeared on the show as we used her vocals for the countdown and there was a visible of her on screen as well. So it was like she was there.

Which was too cute, by the way! What song were you most excited to perform last weekend and what was the best crowd response? What did you enjoy the most and what are you looking forward to performing this weekend?

I feel dance breaks are at all times really fun because I placed on other people’s music and just get the audience in a superb mood so I even have a superb time and dance really fast. But I definitely enjoy performing “On My Mama” simply because I feel it’s the song that individuals know best and I can see their faces light up. They perform choreography to the audience and just have a good time. And I’m very excited to do the show again. 45 minutes goes by quickly, so I’ll attempt to stay present on this set as well.

Heading into the second weekend, do you’re feeling like all the pressure is gone, or do you’re thinking that getting on stage will likely be different this time? How does it feel to be preparing to retread each stage of this performance?

The feeling is absolutely like this… I even have notes. I even have things I would like to repair. There were quite a bit of little things and I feel that is normal for festival shows, simply because it is not your environment and there are quite a bit of changes and performers in a single space. So I even have a couple of things I would like to repair, after which I even have more rehearsals to refine certain things and solve problems like set design flaws and wardrobe elements that we will improve. I’m just fine-tuning the set, so hopefully this weekend will likely be even higher than last. The pressure is absolutely to return back and do higher than the first weekend.

Now this yr you may be staying at the iconic Heineken House on the festival grounds. Who are you looking forward to performing?

I would love to see BIA! I like BIA. I like Channel Trés and I like Lupe [Fiasco] too, but I’ll be on the Mojave stage during Lupe’s performance. So I’m looking forward to introducing artists on Friday that I have not seen yet, in order that will likely be quite a treat. I can just watch and be part of an exciting environment and see other performers doing their thing, which sounds really, really fun.

Coachella can boast a protracted list of successes already in the first quarter of the yr. You’ve been working hard for years to turn into a solo star, and all of it seems to finally be happening in quick succession. How does it feel to have a lot come to fruition directly and what’s next for you?

There’s definitely a way that there are quite a bit of great things happening. So my fundamental goal is to simply stay present. Because there’s a lot to rejoice, but in addition a lot to do and work. So it’s kind of a balance between realizing that I’ve gotten to where I would like to be, but in addition knowing that there is still quite a bit of things that I would like to do, just having that duality and ensuring that I’m at all times grateful, but in addition still hungry and dealing on the next things.