Monica Denise Brown, simply known as Monica (née Arnold; born October 24, 1980), is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, she began performing as a child and became part of a traveling gospel choir at the age of ten. Guided and developed by record producers Dallas Austin and Tim & Bob, Brown signed with Arista at age thirteen and released her debut album Miss Thang in 1995. In 2010, Billboard listed Brown at number 24 on its list of the Top 50 R&B and Hip Hop Artists of the past 25 years.