Victoria Monét takes Billboard fan poll with 'Frequency of Love'

Victoria Monét has the fans' vote. Her album Frequency of Love took 40% of the vote to top Billboard's weekly new music poll, with the result confirmed on Oct. 5.

Billboard had opened the poll on Friday, Oct. 2, asking readers to choose their favourite new release of the week. Voting ran through the Sunday. The poll is a straight reader vote, separate from the publication's sales-based charts — the Billboard Hot 100, which ranks songs on sales, streams and radio play in the United States, and the Billboard 200, which does the same for albums.

The race was tight at the top. Noah Kahan's single "Draw You Out" finished second with 29% of the vote. Miranda Lambert's album Crisco drew nearly 7%, while Drake's HABIBTI (FOMO) deluxe release took almost 6%, according to Billboard. The weekly line-up had put Monét, Kahan and Drake among the leading contenders for readers to choose between.

Frequency of Love arrived on Oct. 2. The 22-track collection is Monét's sophomore full-length LP, industry shorthand for her second full album, and the follow-up to Jaguar II. Three songs — "Let Me," "Reach Out" and "Juicy" — came out first as early singles, the tracks released in advance to introduce an album campaign.

The guest list is long. The album includes appearances from Leon Thomas, Lucky Daye, SZA, Bryson Tiller, Chlöe and Bruno Mars. Monét also spoke to Variety about managing vocal issues while making the record, a difficult stretch for any singer heading into release week.

For fans, this means new music first, then the road. Her headlining Frequency of Love Tour is set to start on Oct. 27 in Raleigh, N.C., and run through mid-December, according to Billboard. Tour listings carry the full routing with venues, dates and ticket details by city. It puts the 22-song set on stage within weeks of release.