(Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

It’s been a year to remember for Monica. The seasoned R&B diva got married to NBA baller Shannon Brown this past July in a fairy tale ceremony in California that was attended by a host of famous friends and family. To put a cap on her big year, the 31-year-old songstress was one of the many performers at the star-studded A Very BET Christmas ceremony, which aired last night on BET.

Looking forward to 2012 Monica is gearing up to release her seventh studio album, New Life. Mo tells BET.com the new project is centered on the path she took to get to her present state of bliss.

“It’s a little different because so many different things have happened in my life over the last year and a half,” says the veteran singer. “I also talk about the journey getting to this point, so it’s not about any one thing, it’s about everything from relationships, self-motivation, being empowered and feeling like your worthy of being loved and loving others the right way.”

With her latest video “Until It’s Gone” climbing up the 106 and Park countdown the Atlanta songbird says she’s hoping to work with Mary J. Blige and R. Kelly before she wraps the new LP.

“I have a couple of different people that I really like to work with, I’ve always wanted to work with R. Kelly, I’ve always wanted to work with Mary [J. Blige],” Monica admits.

“I wanted to save that for last because I think it’s always good when you sit down with artists that you admire and love and play them songs and see if anything touches them.”

As big names collaborations go, Mo isn’t discouraged by the controversy stemming from Lil’ Kim’s removal off the original version of New Life’s first single “Anything (To Find You),” featuring Rick Ross. Monica says fans can expect another Lil’ Kim project in the future.

This past summer Lil’ Kim was removed from the Missy Elliott-produced track, which sampled slain rapper Notorious B.I.G.’s “Who Shot Ya” after sample clearance was denied by the Christopher Wallace Estate proprietor Ms.V ioletta Wallace.

“I would love to [record another song], Kim has such a genuine personality and she’s passionate about music, and she’s passionate about her career,” says Monica. “If she calls me she knows that I’m there whether it’s a hook or whatever it is she wants done. I’m 100% going to do it because the things that happened were not within my or Kim’s control, other people said no so you do what you got to do, but we’ll definitely do something else.”

Monica’s album New Life is scheduled to hit stores February 21.

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