“It’s about my relationship with God. You know, [He’s] the only reason why I’m really still standing. ‘Still Standing’ was not just for TV and it wasn’t just for the album. It’s a song that really explains my life and the way I made it through some of the tests and trials in my life,” says the Atlanta-based star who burned brightest in the late 1990s. “ ‘Still Standing’ is something that means a whole lot to me. It’s just two words, but they’re really strong. And that’s what I want women to see — a woman that has some strength and some character as well. When you watch the show, you will see all of those things.”
Monica Denise Arnold, 29, first soared across the musical horizon like a meteor with her five-million-selling debut album at age 15. She was a multimillionaire and Grammy Award winner before she even graduated from high school. But fame and riches were hardly sufficient to insulate her from a string of adversities that rocked the young woman to her core.
Monica’s magic carpet ride of a life hit an air pocket in 2000 when her boyfriend committed suicide in front of her. She also was entangled in a turbulent relationship with C-Murder, who was later convicted of murder and sentenced to prison. When her 2006 album died on delivery — Monica was not happy with how her label marketed it — she decided to retreat into the cozy recesses of motherhood and take inventory of her life. She had her second child with longtime boyfriend and rapper Rodney “Rocko” Hill Jr. This self-imposed moratorium also enabled Monica to bandage up any lingering emotional wounds left from long ago.
Now with a new album coming in December and a reality show premiering Oct. 27, Monica is ready to blast off again. And based on the packed club at Bocodo Atlanta, Monica got a lot of love to fuel her takeoff.
“This city knows that I love them back. And they know that everything I do I represent them to the fullest,” she says.
One more thing: Monica says those expecting “Still Standing” to include the kind
of mindlessness, madness and manufactured drama that is alleged on other shows (most notably on “Real Housewives of Atlanta”) will be disappointed. But BET believed in the redemptive power of Monica’s life.
“They took the show and [did] something they’ve never done before in the history of their reality shows. They gave us 12 episodes,” she announced to an adoring crowd. “Just know that God is able. He forgives and knows and sees all. I’m just so grateful.” –terry shropshire
