Brooklyn-born and Los Angeles–based, aja monet is a celebrated surrealist blues poet, vocalist, and composer— a storyteller whose work dissolves the boundary between language and sound, transforming poetry into a fully realized musical experience. Her GRAMMY nominated 2023 debut album when the poems do what they do drew acclaim for its blend of jazz-inflected rhythms, lyrical precision, and an urgent, emotional depth. Critics described the record as a meditative yet potent journey “with gravitas and wonder,” rooted in resistance, love, and the inexhaustible quest for joy.
This summer, monet returns with her first new music in three years, including the striking single “hollyweird,” co-produced with Me’shell Ndegeocello, inspired by the 2025 Los Angeles fires. Written amid smoke and upheaval, the track refracts contemporary cultural anxieties through an Afropunk-tinged lens — exploring isolation, authenticity, and communal longing.
Coming just days after her Carnegie Hall debut, monet opens the 2026 Off the 405 season with a performance grounded in musicianship and language — an evening that foregrounds voice, ensemble, and the expansive possibilities of poetry in concert.
