Monique Samuels has come "to slay."
The Real Housewives of Potomac star makes this very point in her new single, "Drag Queens," which E! News is exclusively debuting today. According to the 36-year-old reality star, she turned to music after "the craziness of last year."
Specifically, after working through stress in therapy, Monique says she realized that music is a great outlet for working through pent up emotions.
"It was a lot that happened last season and this is pretty much me just reclaiming my power back and reminding myself of who I am, and although, you know, I'm not perfect never claimed to be," she tells E! News in an exclusive chat. "I just needed a way to reassure myself that, you know, everything will be fine. And then this song was kind of my way of just letting everything go, getting everything that I felt off of my chest."
Although Monique notes that this song is "just fun, uplifting [and] a little shady," she has let go of the drama. But what do her castmates think of the track?
Per Monique, she has yet to play her song for her RHOP peers. Her family on the other hand, they "know darn near the whole song," she says.
Fun fact: Her husband, retired NFL star Chris Samuels, is featured on the song.
"That's his deep voice you hear. So ya, we layered it with his voice and it's just fun," she continues. "But they love the song every time I turn to the one, they just start bopping their heads, dancing. They love it."
Still, Monique isn't sure how her RHOP co-stars will react to "Drag Queens."
"They'll probably just listen to the hook, which is, you know, drag queens don't play, you know, probably just relate that to the whole line last year when I said, 'I'll drag you pregnant,'" she shares. "But if you listen to the whole song, you'll see that it's much more than just a play off of those words. But I am saying you know I came to work, I came to slay. That's my mindset whenever I'm filming, or just in general."
This new musical venture has allowed Monique to rediscover her love of music, especially rap.
"I started writing poetry when I was in like fifth grade. And then when I was in high school, a friend of mine said you know what you should take these poems and make them into songs, like you should rap songs," Monique explains. "And I was like, ok I'll try it and my love of music developed back then, and I was pursuing a career in the music industry after I left college. And so it's always been a part of me."
In fact, Monique used to go by the stage name Hazel, which she intends to use moving forward. She states, "People know me and my family from the show, I just figured I'd just change the whole title of my name so, Hazel AKA Monique Samuels."
With the title of the song being "Drag Queens," Monique explains how she ran the song by transgender Beyoncé impersonator Riley Knoxx.
"When I did this song, I got her feedback, and just wanted to make sure that I wouldn't be like stepping on any toes or coming off in a way that is, you know, negative, and she absolutely loved it," Monique clarifies.
In regard to rappers she's inspired by, Monique names Busta Rhymes, Salt N Pepa, Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj.
Whether she intends to follow in fellow housewife Erika Giradi (whose stage name is Erika Jayne)'s footsteps, Monique says she doesn't know. Yet, she has written music in quarantine and plans to make more.
Monique adds, "It has really helped me during this time. It's been a great stress reliever."
Speaking of other musically gifted housewives, Monique says she'd love to collaborate with The Real Housewives of Atlanta's Kandi Burruss and Porsha Williams.
Listen to the Bravo personality's new song in the video above.
The Real Housewives of Potomac returns Sunday, August 2 at 9 p.m. on Bravo!
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)