In the months following her 2024 Grammy win as a new artist, singer and songwriter Victoria Monét found an unconventional way to reconnect with her creativity—through culinary school. While rehearsing for a European stadium tour with Bruno Mars this spring, Monét balanced early morning shifts as a prep cook at Verse L.A., a supper club in Toluca Lake owned by renowned mixing engineer Manny Marroquin. This role fulfilled the externship requirement for her graduation in May from Pasadena’s Institute of Culinary Education.

Monét, 37, described the cooking school experience as a welcome departure from the demands of music industry promotion. After winning one of the field’s most coveted awards, she found herself navigating a cycle of appearances and events that left her questioning her purpose. “It was like I got this big spotlight and then my job just became capitalizing on that spotlight,” Monét explained, emphasizing she does not regret her success but sought a more authentic form of creative expression. Mastering dishes such as aguachile and chocolate soufflé, she said, “took me back to that place where I was creating something that I wasn’t earning from.”

This renewed creative spirit is evident in Monét’s latest project, “Frequency of Love,” a 22-track album that showcases her versatility as both a vocalist and songwriter. The album serves as the follow-up to her 2023 debut LP, “Jaguar II,” and spans an eclectic range of styles including throwback R&B, acoustic folk-soul, and pulsating dance tracks. Among the collection is a richly arranged cover of “Somebody,” a midcentury standard written by Harry Warren and Jack Brooks. Monét credits discovering the song from the HBO film “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,” in which Halle Berry portrayed the groundbreaking Black actress and singer.

“She was like the Black Marilyn Monroe that I’d never heard about before that movie,” Monét said of Dandridge, noting that she even dressed as her for two Halloweens. The album is unified by Monét’s confident vocal delivery and a lyrical approach that balances flirtation with philosophical depth. Collaborators on the record include producers Camper, D’Mile, and Kaytranada, who contribute to the dynamic and textured soundscape that defines the project.