Monica Arnold is better known by just her first name. The R&B singer was born in 1980, and has achieved success with her musical talent. Selling over nine million albums in the United States, and over eighteen million albums across the world, she is one of the most popular R&B singers of the 1990s.

Growing up in Georgia, Monica was raised by her single mother, also a singer, after her parents separated in 1984 and then divorced in 1987.

Monica’s singing career began in her home state of Georgia as she sang with a gospel choir called “Charles Thompson and the Majestics.” Monica also performed regularly in talent shows and singing competitions, winning over twenty times as a teenager. Eventually, she was discovered by Arista Records. Upon signing a solo recording contract with Arista, Monica recorded and released “Miss Thang,” under the Rowdy Records Label in 1995. Both singles released from this, her debut album, hit the top of the Billboard R&B Chart, and made her the youngest singer to have two consecutive number one singles on the chart. At the age of 15, Monica had found recording success.

Recording success continued for Monica, as she released one hit single after another. “Angel of Mine” and “First Night” were two of the additional hit singles she released. In addition to her solo success, Monica also achieved success recording a duet with Brandy, another female R&B superstar. Their duet, The Boy is Mine” became a huge radio hit and secured Monica’s place in the history of R&B recording. As her success continued, she became a regular on TV talk shows and was also featured in most every teen magazine.

Monica’s most recent hit release, the album “Still Standing,” was released in 2010, and achieved success nearly immediately, as it debuted at number two on the charts. The singles released from that album include “Everything to Me” and “Here I Am.” She also provided the theme song for the 2000 movie “Big Momma’s House” with the song “I’ve Got to Have It.”

Music, however, has not been the only area in which Monica has found success. She has also had roles on TV shows such as “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “American Dreams,” and “Living Single.” A hit reality series based on her life called “Monica: Still Standing” was a successful show for BET. The show was based on a hit one-hour special that was aired on a Georgia television station and was called “Monica: The Single.” Monica has also found a place for herself in the fashion industry. She has begun designing and marketing a line of clothing for boys that is called “Regions of Rock.”

Though Monica’s career has been extraordinarily successful, her personal life has seen its fair share of troubles. In 2000, her boyfriend committed suicide in front of her, which she has spoken about as causing her to slip into depression, though she has also said that her parents’ spiritual guidance has helped her to cope with this event. Eventually, Monica married rapper Rodney Hill, who had been an on-and-off boyfriend,  after their 2007 engagement and gave birth to two children with him. The couple has since divorced.