Victoria Monét Says Daughter Hazel, 2, Knows She's 'Done Something Really Cool' as Youngest-Ever Grammy Nominee (Exclusive)
The singer's daughter made history for her nomination for best traditional R&B performance
Victoria Monét’s daughter made history as the youngest person to be nominated for a Grammy, and the singer says the 2-year-old has a bit of an inkling as to what’s going on.
Monét, 34, is bringing her daughter Hazel with her to the Grammy Awards on Sunday, and tells PEOPLE the toddler isn’t completely unaware of the excitement ahead of her.
“She understands she's done something really cool, but I don't think she understands the magnitude,” Monét tells PEOPLE on Saturday at Clive Davis' Pre-Grammys Gala at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. “So as she gets older, I'll be excited to explain this to her and show her, hopefully, a Grammy with her name on it.”
Monét racked up seven nominations at this year’s awards, including best traditional R&B performance for "Hollywood," which features both Hazel and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Despite Hazel’s young age, Monét says that music has always been important to the mother-daughter duo.
“Throughout my pregnancy, I was playing music for her in my belly. I was working on A Jaguar Christmas: The Orchestral Arrangements project and I had these headphones that I would play music for her on.”
In fact, there’s one song that has been a favorite of Hazel’s since before she was even born.
“One song that I played for her at the time was ‘My Girl’ by the Temptations and when she was born, it was the only song she could go to sleep to, so I know she heard it. It was familiar to her. It was white noise and ‘My Girl.’ So I know music has been in her life since [she was a] fetus," she says.
The second-most nominated artist at this year’s awards, Monét previously told PEOPLE of her nominations — and Hazel’s nod: "It's a really big deal. I think it's another full circle moment for me because during pregnancy, everything was really scary.”
She continued, “People were telling me how bad of a career move it could be, how detrimental to everything it could be."
"Pregnancy, it's going into unknown territory and no one's story is the same. So, to have one of the more fearful moments career-wise turn into one of the best moments ever of my career is really magical. I'm honored to have the accolade for her."
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Monét says that since welcoming Hazel — whom she shares with her fitness trainer boyfriend John Gaines — juggling her career and motherhood has been “the hardest thing to do.”
"I feel like I'm in Cirque du Soleil. The best thing I can do for balance is really to bring her into my world. So, I love when she's at the shows," she said of Hazel. "I love when she's in the studio. I love when she's at the events because it feels like I've combined my worlds and I think that's the best... I'm not in two places at once."
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Gaines, though, is “a great dad” and that helps take a load off her.
"Sometimes if I'm at work, my heart is with her. So, I love when they come together and I could just be," she continued. "But I definitely have a great team that's helping me balance everything and a great partner that's helping keep the family sane and going and combats any scheduling complications.”
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