Currently crying while typing this but on Oct. 4, Grammy award winning recording artist and songwriter, Victoria Monét concluded her JAGUAR era with “JAGUAR II: Deluxe” – featuring 10 new tracks and three iconic features.
The JAGUAR Era began in 2019 with the release of her single “Ass Like That”. Following that, the first installment of the JAGUARsaga released in August 2020 with the project,JAGUAR. This project included hits like “Moment”, “Touch Me”, and “Experience”.
In 2023, Monét released JAGUAR II, which is home to her grammy-nominated hit, “On my Mama”. Since then, JAGUAR II earned two Grammys and many accolades following its release. So a deluxe was well needed. Many fans expressed excitement during the release of JAGUARII: Deluxe as a way to congratulate Victoria on the era overall.
The jaguar era has genuinely been one of my favorite eras in music. These songs are going to be played for years and years. Victoria Monét is truly a gift 😭 I love music!
— Iddy (@badgaliddy_) October 4, 2024
omgggg, this JAGUAR era has been so freaking phenomenal and fun as a fan. I’m just so mind-blown with how it all ended up. The music, the music videos, the tour, the music, the awards, THE MUSIC! From when she first dropped ass like that to what we got tonight? Magical!
— Diamond (@dbrailzzz) October 4, 2024
🐆✨
D*ckAtNight
This first song reminds of when you leave on Nickelodeon late at night and all your favorite sitcoms come on in all the best ways. For some reason the tune reminds me of “The Nanny” theme song. Victoria really knows how to sing about sexual liberation in such a fun way. The beat drop? The tambourines? I truly have a great time listening to it.
Rating: 4
Don’t Sleep (feat. Thundercat)
Listen, this one is an earworm. Victoria comes in at the beginning in her female rap era exhibiting total big boss energy with the line “come sit your sexy ass down on my jet”. And honestly? She commanded the stage so hard I was ready to sit down on that jet for real! This song talks about having these otherworldly ideas of success and abundance and how working towards that non-stop pays off. Given Victoria’s path to success, this song makes me so happy.
Rating: 5
SOS (Sex on Sight) (feat. USHER)
An Usher feature may be one the biggest flexes ever. I knew this collab was long overdue when Victoria showed up to the SuperBowl wearing a custom Usher dress. It’s safe to say this song lived up to the hype. Everything about this song embodies the sensually they both possess and the visualizer? To die for.
Rating: 3.5
2SEXY (Interlude)
Victoria Monét is honestly the queen of interlude and 2SEXY is starting to become one of my faves. It’s short, sweet, and gets right to the point. I love the minimal amount of instruments. It really lets Victoria’s voice shine.
Rating:4
1900’s
Where do I start? Let’s start with the Michael Jackson sample– Thriller is one of my favorite albums of all time so when I heard Victoria was sampling “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” I almost passed out. TBH, sampling Michael Jackson is not an easy task but Victoria definitely did the song justice while putting her own spin on it. “1900’s” is a very fun song and I need to see her perform it live.
Rating: 5
Love Is Stronger Than Pride
I love Sade so this was another one I was excited for. Again, Victoria captured the essence of the OG song but made it her own. The song is very colorful and fits so well with everything else and she was singing down, okay?
Rating : 4
Everybody Needs Someone
I don’t know about y’all I love songs that feel like a hug from the person you love. This song is exactly that. It’s about leaning on your loved ones when you need it the most and spreading kindness. In a climate like this, love is truly needed. It truly matches the old/new school vibe of JAGUAR as a whole – def one of my favorites.
Rating: 5
We Might Even Be Falling In Love (Duet)
This duet is a continuation of an interlude on JAGUAR with it now featuring Bryson Tiller. NGL, this song is unfortunately, going a bit lower on my list. I love continuations of interludes like the next person but in my opinion I like this one better as a solo interlude.
Rating: 3
The Greatest/ (Lovenotes Outro)
This song truly touched my heart. In a way, it’s almost bittersweet because it feels like the ending of a journey. I know, I know, Victoria isn’t going anywhere but it kinda feels like she is. “The Greatest” reflects on Victoria’s accomplishments as a whole, almost like a sequel to “Don’t Sleep”. The song concludes with Monét’s daughter, Hazel which made me emo. But wait, there’s more. The album concludes with different sound bites from Victoria’s loved ones who send her so much praise. NGL I definitely cried at the end of this one, especially as the album closed out with a prayer from Hazel.
Rating: 5
What I love most about this deluxe is that it’s more than the deluxe albums we usually see that include maybe three new songs and a remix. This deluxe has 10 new songs that are completely different from what was previously released which really set the bar for how music is released now.
now that’s how you do a deluxe!! real music is back! real artistry is back! thank you for blessing us like this @VictoriaMonet https://t.co/szJaK0AxD8
— giselle 🫧 (@kristinakordei) October 4, 2024
Victoria is definitely setting the bar when it comes to making music and I’m so proud of what she did with JAGUAR. Leaving this era behind is going to feel like grief for me since it brought me so many memories and brought me to meet so many amazing people.
So to JAGUAR, it’s been fun and you will be missed!