Anniversaries: Jaguar (EP) by Victoria Monét
Victoria Monét evolved from penning hits for others to crafting a sound and narrative that is distinctly her own; Jaguar was the moment she let it roar, and its echo is still being felt today.
Before Jaguar, Victoria Monét had already left her fingerprints all over the charts, co-writing smashes for others: the trap-pop fantasia of Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings,” with its now-iconic mantra “I want it, I got it,” the club-ready sizzle of Fifth Harmony’s “Work from Home,” the glossy R&B of Chlöe x Halle’s “Do It.” But those triumphs were in service of other stars. With this 25-minute EP, Monét shifted from behind-the-scenes mastermind to front-and-center auteur. The project’s very conception was Monét reclaiming that 7 Rings ethos of self-fulfillment for herself. After helping craft Grande’s ostentatiously empowering anthem, Monét “took time off from making songs for other people and focused strictly on her music for the first time.” The result was Jaguar, a record that acts as both personal statement and pop innovation—a “sleek cocoon of funk-tinged R&B” in which Monét “excavates what it means to be in control.”
Released at the crest of a retro wave in pop, Jaguar landed with uncanny timing. Monét’s Jaguar rode this wave of female-led electro-funk resurgence, arriving the same year that Lipa’s Future Nostalgia and Jessie Ware’s What’s Your Pleasure? reintroduced shimmering ‘70s grooves to a new generation. R&B contemporaries were in on it too: Normani flirted with disco-funk vibes (first alongside Sam Smith on “Dancing With a Stranger” and then in the Beyoncé-channeling brass of “Motivation”). Monét, however, brought her twist. Best known for penning airy pop and R&B hooks, she made a “shocking shift” by turning her ear decidedly toward the sounds of the 1970s on Jaguar: funk basslines, velvety disco strings, and classic R&B instrumentations. She even insisted on a live band in the studio, deliberately invoking the spirit of Motown legends. “He was a songwriter and an artist at the same time, and equally as great,” Monét said of Smokey Robinson, citing the Motown icon’s dual talent as inspiration for her path. That desire—to be respected not just as a hit-making writer but as an artist with a distinctive voice—animates Jaguar. In Monét’s words, she saw herself like the titular big cat, staying “camouflaged until it was the right time to pounce.” On Jaguar, she pounces with a confident roar.
“Moment” showed a side of Jaguar’s prism, with a grand, velvet-lined ballad dripping with romantic (and erotic) tension. Over producer D’Mile’s luxuriant arrangement—pillowy synth chords, harps, and eventually a sweep of strings—Monét’s vocals are pure seduction, soft yet commanding. “Life is but a dream, here we are inside of it/and you’re inside of me,” she coos breathily, the line balancing poetry and provocative desire. Then comes the payoff: “So fuck a fantasy, this yo muthafuckin’ moment,” Monét belts in the chorus, cutting through the mellow groove with a jolt of assertiveness. Over a slinky bass groove, Monét celebrates her physique on “Ass Like That”—unabashed and self-assured. “Met him about two months ago, said his name was Gym and that he’d make me better than before,” she teases in the opening verse, a witty double entendre that sets the tone. The song is a body-positivity bop, wherein Monét points out her hard work and curves with pride. “When you see me, just know, yeah, I earned that shit,” she proclaims, pride radiating from her voice, “Treat my calories like weed, yeah, I burn that shit.”
Monét’s instinct for sensual storytelling carries through the entire project. The brief interlude “Big Boss” follows “Moment” on the tracklist, and though only a minute and a half long, it more than earns its place. Over a minimalist, bass-heavy groove, Monét practically purrs her lyrics, radiating boss bitch energy with a sultry twist. “Come follow me to luxury, gold on the floors and all over me, diamonds galore,” she invites in a tantalizing whisper. The EP’s most explicitly sexual moment comes with “Dive,” a song that wastes no time announcing its intentions. Over a hazy, slow-funk instrumentation, she unleashes a torrent of playful metaphors and breathy taunts. “I just wanna see what your head game like,” she sings with a sly smile in her voice (the double meaning hardly needs explaining). As the song undulates, horns begin to swell in the final chorus, and a late-arriving string section adds an almost ecstatic flourish to close out the track. It’s as if the music itself blushes and blooms by the end.
All these threads—self-love, romantic intimacy, and unabashed sexuality—come together on the EP’s title track, “Jaguar.” Placed at the center of the project, it pounces with a confident strut, with a blast of horns and a funky bass riff that sets a “dynamic and explosive” tone, immediately more uptempo than the slow jams preceding it. Monét’s voice slinks in, syncopated and breathy, as she stretches the word “Jag-u-ar” like a cat arching its back. The groove is addictive—a hi-hat-heavy disco beat that skitters and pulses under glossy synths—and D’Mile’s production builds piece by piece, adding elements with each bar until the track is a full-on funk jam. Yet Monét’s vocal performance remains silky and unhurried, oozing that self-assured cool. “I’m just living on instinct,” she sings at one point, a mantra that echoes the EP’s theme of trusting oneself. It’s bold and brassy, the kind of flourish you’d expect in a classic Earth, Wind & Fire track, yet it fits Monét’s vibe perfectly (small wonder, then, that by the time she made Jaguar II in 2023, she was collaborating with actual members of Earth, Wind & Fire on “Hollywood”).
Rounding out the project is “Experience,” Jaguar’s final single and one of its most intriguing pivots. For this track, Monét joined forces with British producer S.G. Lewis, a guru of modern disco revival, and enlisted R&B star Khalid for a feature. The trio concocted a shimmering post-disco number that glides like a roller skate under neon lights. If “Jaguar” (the song) was all about Monét’s feral confidence, “Experience” offers a different flavor: it’s outwardly joyous and danceable, but with a bittersweet emotional undercurrent. When Jaguar was released, it was immediately clear that Victoria Monét had done more than deliver a tight collection of songs; she had announced herself as a creative force to be reckoned with. The EP’s commitment to live instrumentation and vintage textures gives it a timeless sheen – those grooves haven’t aged a day. Listen to the strutting funk of “Jaguar” or the lush strings on “Moment” now, and they sound as sumptuous as ever, untouched by the trend-chasing production quirks that often date pop records. Monét’s willingness to lean into authentic ‘70s soul and funk influences means Jaguar was reaching back to enduring musical touchstones.
It’s fair to say Monét staked her claim as a pop innovator with Jaguar, and the ripples of its sound can be heard in contemporary R&B/pop productions that favor live bass slaps, horn sections, and unabashed sensuality. The frank lyricism has likewise proven influential, or at least perfectly in step with the direction of pop culture. Monét wasn’t the only female artist in 2020 unabashedly celebrating sexuality and bodily autonomy, but she did so with a unique blend of class and cheek. Now, in 2025, it’s almost expected for female pop/R&B stars to be candid about desire and self-love in their music. No longer constrained by another artist’s image or radio formulas, her songwriting on Jaguar was freer—sometimes even experimental (see the multi-part structure of “Jaguar” or the bold string arrangements woven into the R&B framework). That freedom paid off artistically, and it carried into her subsequent work. When Monét finally released Jaguar II, her full-length debut album in 2023, it was met with even greater success (including multiple Grammy wins), in large part because the identity established on Jaguar was so strong and appealing. The EP gave Monét the confidence and the credentials to push further; you can hear echoes of Jaguar’s funk experiments and sensual tone all over Jaguar II, amplified and refined.
Victoria Monét wanted artistic freedom; she got it and made the most of it. She wanted to celebrate her body and sexuality; she did it in a way that still makes listeners (especially women of color like Monét) feel seen and powerful. She wanted to innovate in R&B; she forged a fresh yet nostalgically familiar sound that others are now riding the wave of. Jaguar has aged like fine wine (or perhaps like a timeless groove on a vinyl record); its “shimmering production and frank lyricism” still glint and provoke smiles in 2025. In just eight tracks, it captures a young Black woman embracing all facets of herself—lover, fighter, queen, boss, and dreamer—and invites us to dance along in that celebration of self. It’s only fitting to end on this note: Jaguar’s highs remain exhilarating, its minor stumbles are easily forgiven (“We Might Be Even Falling In Love” should not have an extended version with Bryson Tiller of all people), and its legacy is secure. Victoria Monét evolved from penning hits for others to crafting a sound and narrative that is distinctly her own. With Jaguar, she staked her claim as not just an inheritor of R&B’s rich tradition, but as a pop innovator in her own right—one who’s helped steer the course of modern pop and R&B toward a place that’s funkier, freer, and more fabulously authentic. The most unmistakable voice in Monét’s jungle was always her own; Jaguar was the moment she let it roar, and its echo is still being felt today.