MoTalk Radio with Monica

Monica is an R&B legend who has released some of the genre's most indelible cuts—the apologetic yet firm “Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)”, the sinuous Brandy duet “The Boy Is Mine”—and is still innovating, releasing singles with the likes of Ty Dolla $ign and James Fortune in the run-up to her album Trenches. With her new Apple Music show MoTalk Radio With Monica, she brings all that experience together, offering mixes and commentary on music as well as conversations with big names from the world of entertainment. MoTalk Radio begins with the music, which is curated by the Canadian DJ Baby Yu, who Monica began working with during the pandemic. “DJ Baby Yu is incredible at just bringing the right music at the right time,” she says. “It was really, really easy merging our worlds together. By the time we actually sat to do MoTalk, it was like a conversation between good friends. You get two different perspectives—someone that's never been married, and someone that has, or someone that has one view of relationships because obviously he's a man and they're from a different planet than us. We get a chance to really have some healthy dialogue between the two.” Healthy dialogue is also key to MoTalk Radio, which will feature Monica in conversation with basketball star turned mogul Shaquille O'Neal and groundbreaking country artist Mickey Guyton, among other luminaries. Inspiration for the show's interview portion comes from Monica's own extensive experience in the public eye, which makes her someone people will trust more readily. "Oftentimes, stories take on lives of their own based on how they're presented to the world," she says. "Because people know that I know what that feels like, me asking them certain questions allows them to answer with a level of truth and comfortability that they may not find somewhere else. The reality is that I still ask the hard questions. I do it in a way that it ensures that they know I won't be chopping, editing or changing what their response actually is." Most importantly, Monica wants MoTalk Radio to be a place where an audience can find something to make their day better, whether because of a song that sparks a memory or an anecdote from a guest. "I want it to help you get through your day if you're having a difficult one, if you're sitting in traffic," she says. "I want it to really be an easy listen from start to finish."