MONICA IS 'STILL STANDING': Singer stars in new reality series.

      *Singer Monica signed her first record deal in 1991 at the ripe age of 11 and is still standing. Her debut album hit four years later and produced four radio singles and made her the youngest recording act to ever have two consecutive chart-topping hits on Billboard’s R&B chart.

      Monica’s early hits include “Don’t Take it Personal (Just one of the Dem Days),” “Before You Walk Out of My Life,” and “The Boy is Mine,” her duet with pop star Brandy, made her one of the most popular artists of the 1990s. In the early 2000s, however, Monica’s rotations on radio began to wane during a time when she was dealing with the suicide of her boyfriend, a tumultuous relationship with Corey “C-Murder” Miller.

      Monica weaved in and out of the limelight over the following years gaining experience in life and in the industry. She’s now sharing her experiences on her own reality series called “Monica: Still Standing,” which airs Tuesday 10PM/9C on BET.

      Described as an intimate, provocative docu-drama that takes a look at her day-to-day world; her balance of family, health challenges, her career, and being a full-time mother of two young sons, the show was originally slated for eight episodes, but BET has decided to extend the season to 12 episodes.

      “I hadn’t seen it in its entirety at first and I really didn’t want to,” Monica said of her new series. “I really trusted the people we did the show with. I wasn’t very concerned about the way things looked throughout the process of taping. And I didn’t want to go back and view footage and become concerned about things I hadn’t been concerned about before.”

      The singer said that show producers assured her that the series would honestly reflect her life, eluding to stories of scripted, edited, or encouraged reality series.

      “There are so many positive aspects that I wanted to make sure were understood and they did,” she said. “They promised me that the show would reflect my life the way it really is, which is drama-free, full of family, we love God, we love each other.”

       “They can definitely find ways to make things appear to be different than they are,” she continued. “If you ask anybody on reality TV that’s the way they feel about most of what you see, so I’m really one of the fortunate few.”

      Monica shared her thoughts on the very popular reality series “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”

      “If you put a lot of girls together, that’s just the reality. Usually women don’t get along to that degree,” she said of the show. “I think it’s a great show – for them. It just wasn’t a great show for me to try to emulate or duplicate. I actually have friends that are on that show and I love it for them. I think it’s incredible for them, but I’m walking into my own purpose and positive energy is something I keep amongst me.”

      Monica got the reality gig after doing a “pilot” of sorts. She teamed up with Peachtree TV (independent channel WPCH) for a show that depicted a personality in the music industry with a personal life as well. Monica was recruited for the show, which was titled “The Single”

      “I think BET looked at what I had done with Peachtree TV with the hour long special and (they) see what I could bring to television and they’ve been extremely supportive from that moment on,” she said.

      The show was named “Still Standing” based on a philosophy and the singer’s new record.

      “When you put those two words together, you think strength,” Monica explained. “In all the things that we all face on a daily basis, I would want people to be able to stand strong through the things that they’ve experienced and that’s what I’ve done in my life. I’m only 29 years old and a lot of different things have taken place and my test and trials have left me with quite a testimony. I’m proud of being able to get through a lot of things that have happened. I’m not a victim, I’m a victor.”

      Her album of the same name is expected in stores on mid-January.

      “During the taping of ‘The Single’ we created [the song] ‘Still Standing’ and once I heard it, I said it was the best representation for where I was at this moment and I instantaneously named the album that,” she explained. “And I wanted to be clear, what I wanted people to take away from it and I said, ‘I just want people to still stand; stand on their own two feet and believe in that.’ The song was the beginning of it all.”

       Monica continued that while the track was never released as a single, it had been used for - and connected with - a number of great causes including an event honoring producer Babyface.

      “I do understand that they won’t always see my vision and vice versa,” she said about the song not becoming a single, “but I took it as a challenge to create more music and make the music more heartfelt and have the same intensity. It just motivated me to get back into the studio. I’m glad that it happened that way because if not, this show may not have come about.”

     “Monica: Still Standing” airs Tuesday nights at 10PM on BET. For more on the singer and the latest Monica news, check out her official website: www.monica.com.  

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