aja monet is a Surrealist Blues Poet, recording artist, and bandleader whose work moves fluidly between poetry, music, and political expression. Emerging from New York City’s Lower East Side spoken word scene, she became the youngest recipient of the Nuyorican Grand Slam Poetry title before expanding her practice into genre-defying musical performance rooted in jazz, blues, and experimental sound.

Her debut poetry album, when the poems do what they do, earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album in 2024, positioning monetas a singular voice in contemporary Black music and performance. The project blends poetry with live instrumentation and improvisation, exploring themes of resistance, love, and joy through a collaborative, ensemble-driven approach. As a touring bandleader, she has performed at major festivals and venues worldwide, including Newport Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, the Guggenheim, Lincoln Center, the Barbican Centre, and Fremantle Biennale.

In addition to her recorded work, monet is an acclaimed poet and author. Her first full poetry collection, my mother was a freedom fighter (2017), earned a NAACP Image Award nomination for Poetry. Her most recent book, florida water, published by Haymarket Books, draws from several years living and organizing in South Florida and continues her exploration of place, movement, and collective memory.

Her honors include the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Award for Poetry, the Nelson Mandela Changemaker Award, the Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award, the EBONY 100 Artist in Residence Award, and the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Vanguard Award. She also serves as Artistic Creative Director for V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls, and is the creator of VOICES, a 2022 audio play amplifying the stories of Black women across the diaspora and the African continent.
aja monet’s sophomore studio album, the color of rain, will be released in May 2026 on drink sum wtr.