Monica is grateful to Ariana Grande for reuniting her with an old friend.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the “For You I Will” musician Monica, 43, opened up about how working on the remix of the pop star’s hit, “The Boy Is Mine” which was released on Friday, June 21 and inspired by her and Brandy’s 1998 collab of the same name, helped heal their relationship following years of alleged tiffs between them.
“The process of the new collaboration did a lot of closing the gaps,” said Monica of building a bridge with the “Missing You” artist, 45. “When you properly communicate, you can find not only the resolutions and solutions to problems — but sometimes you find that there weren’t ever problems, just consistent miscommunications.”
She added: “It made it a lot easier just to talk.
Monica said that she and Brandy have spoken more in the past few weeks than they have in “the last two decades.”
“We recognized that the key was to keep other people out of our relationship, both business and personal, and let it be between she and I, and that has changed everything. It’s changed the trajectory of it in its totality,” she told the outlet.
“My son was in the hospital the other day and she was who I was speaking to while he was there — that is what Ariana has done that she may not even realize.”
Monica added: “But this time, I thank God for growth and change and just becoming a mom and experiencing a lot of what I have and learning to properly communicate.”
While the original version of “The Boy Is Mine” was a hit, it also perpetuated rumors of a feud between the pair.
In 2020, Monica and Brandy also spoke to ET after their Verzuz battle to discuss their strained relationship.
“It was not something that I would say was anyone’s fault,” the “Angel of Mine” performer said. “We all added to it, and after a while, it became real.”
Monica continued: “It’s over now. And it took a very adult conversation.
There’s no shame in saying that. We had to come to that place and to that moment that we had, that allowed us to sit here today. That had to happen first.”
The visual for “The Boy Is Mine,” released on Friday, June 7, kicks off with the “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” hitmaker watching a news segment about the city’s rat infestation on TV before it cuts to Monica and Brandy who introduce the mayor’s report.