Monica In Motion Singing Spirituals Since She Was 2, Monica Is A Hot New Urban Music Sensation Having One Of Dem Years

Not all of the best hip-hop and R&B comes from the streets. You gotta go inside.

Ask Monica.

“It was basically through church. I was raised in the church with my mother and most of my family,” she said.

She was singing in public by 2, singing for big audiences by 9. From there, it went to talent shows and discovery age 12.

And suddenly after years of spiritual singing, it’s been a whirlwind two years for the 14-year-old. Super producer Dallas Austin took time off from his duties with Madonna and Boyz II Men to work on Monica’s debut album, “Miss Thang.” Queen Latifah took over her management.

The result: Atlanta-born Monica Arnold finds herself the latest - and youngest - sensation in urban music, with the first single, “Don’t Take It Personal (just one of dem days),” soaring over the charts and airwaves. The single has been a Top 5 smash on the pop charts and reached No. 1 on the R&B charts.

The thank-you notes on her album give nods to some of the biggest names in rap and R&B - Naughty By Nature, Boyz II Men, TLC, H-Town and others.

“The people I’ve worked with have just taken to me and taught me a lot of things,” she said.

Such a climb might have thrown others for a loop, but part of Monica’s personality - and a large part of her appeal on disc - is her self-assurance, poise and unwillingness to be pushed around.

It’s what attracts listeners to her music, and it’s also what attracts the cream of the music industry to her, no questions asked. Case in point: Queen Latifah happened to hear a tape of Monica through a member of TLC.

“She called me up and flew me out to Los Angeles, and we worked out a contract,” Monica recalled.

Though Latifah is more than a decade older, the two quickly bonded, mainly because they both have a strong sense of self.

Self-assured or not, it’s still a strange feeling to see your first step into music rush up the charts. Within two weeks of release, “Don’t Take It Personal” had rocketed into the Top 10 on the R&B charts and Billboard’s regular singles chart. The album is quickly gaining.

“It was one of those big cold rushes through my body,” she said. “It was real good, seeing what the song did so fast.”

Monica has always been a solo singer and wants to keep it that way. “It just works out better that way. I don’t want to be involved in a lot of conflicts between personalities.

“You definitely learn as you go. You never know what to expect. I’ve just got to think of myself first - it works better for me. You can’t get lost in this industry - but it’s easy to do.”

Producer Austin discovered Monica in the most classic sense. She’d never met Austin, “not until I was actually offered my deal,” she said.

“He really just happened across me,” she said. She was in a talent contest at her hometown of Atlanta - no big thing to her, because she’d won more than a dozen already. She sang a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All.”

And as her hometown just happens to be one of the hottest music spots in the nation right now for R&B, a talent scout was in the audience. He lost track of her after the show and spent a few days tracking her down for his boss to hear.

“I’d heard Dallas’ name before but not necessarily everything he did,” she said. “He had someone get in touch with me. I went to his studio and sang for him. He liked it, and after the first verse he just told me to go into the studio.”

Monica recorded plenty of songs, then she and Austin sat down and picked the favorites.

Is she wise beyond her years, as all her press says? “It depends on how you look at it. This industry I’m in, I’m just wise enough. I know some things to keep my head above water, thank God.”

Her mother has been one of her strongest guides, making sure that Monica’s on the right track.

“She’s in Atlanta while I’m on the road, but she’s definitely involved in my contract” and career.

At 14 you’d think one career would suffice. But it’s the ‘90s, and Monica isn’t putting all her eggs in one basket. She’s working on three, besides continuing her education.

“Latifah is helping me take it to another place. We’re doing a little bit of TV. I’ve been doing some modeling for Seventeen magazine.”

The tour ends next month, but she plans to continue on her own. School is no longer a problem, because she has a year-round tutor working with her. “It’s different, but it works really well with my schedule.”