Victoria Monét - Jaguar review | Album of the week

The Guardian 80

(Tribe)
This is no lunge for the mainstream from the Ariana Grande songwriter, but an assured, inventive exploration of autonomy

Traditionally, the jump from writers’ room to centre stage has been complicated. The likes of Sia and Pharrell have deftly glided from backroom hitmakers to pop behemoths. Others, such as Keri Hilson and Julia Michaels, have struggled to find their footing in the upper echelons of the charts where their songwriting credits so often appear, instead forging fruitful careers as pop underdogs. Nine years into his career as a solo artist, the UK’s MNEK finally scored his first No 1 last week.

Related: Victoria Monét: the Ariana Grande songwriter making bed-quaking R&B