Monica is much more composed than you were at eighteen. Actually, whatever your age, she is probably more composed than you. Tall, regal and poised, Monica is the kind of girl, in the great High School of Life, whom all the boys wanted to ask out but she was always dating some cool older guy. At this early age, her resume is already formidable: She has a double-platinum album under her belt (Miss Thang, released when she was fourteen), a 4.0 average in school (she graduated from her Atlanta high school early), a modeling contract, a burgeoning acting career and a new album, the chock-full-o'-hits The Boy Is Mine (yes, it contains her duet with Brandy). Monica, who will be touring in 1999, chats from the greenroom of The Tonight Show, where she is getting her makeup done. Despite the fact that she will face Jay Leno in mere moments, Monica is unfazed. "Nervous? Not at all," she says smoothly. She's not chilly, you understand. She's just chill.

How did you celebrate your eighteenth birthday?

Most people go clubbing or something outrageous on their eighteenth birthday, but I didn't do much of anything. My family and I got together, and we spent the day at my favorite restaurant in Atlanta. And that's all we did.

What would be a perfect day in Atlanta for you?

Well, the majority of my day I spend eating. I normally go to about two or three restaurants a day.

What? Two or three?

Yes.

I have a feeling you eat whatever you want.

All day. I'm talking, like, food. Baby-back ribs. Baked potatoes. Steak.

For your new album, you sat down with [producer] Dallas Austin and told him about your life, and he wrote the songs. Is that right?

It was a long road. Whenever we were in session, we became one. I would experience things, and he'd tell me to put it in story form on paper or just talk to him about it, and he wrote several songs around the situations.

Let's chat about "The Boy Is Mine." You have said, about boys, that you "refuse to lose."

Well, I'm sure I was saying that in more of a joking manner. On a more serious note, as far as the title "The Boy Is Mine," that's a situation that, at this point, Monica would not be in. Not because of who I am but because of what I believe. I really feel like if it was a situation as such, it would be something I would take up with the guy. I wouldn't direct my attention toward the female, as we did in the song. The song was more of a fun summer record. It wasn't to be taken seriously.

You get a fair amount of questions about Brandy.

It doesn't bother me. To ask me about Brandy does not make me uncomfortable. Like I've said before, we are not a group, so it's not mandatory that we be together. We chose to. We have an extremely incredible business relationship. We work together a lot better than most female groups at this particular point.

So why the rumors of fighting?

I think it's enjoyable for the simple fact that she and I both have releases as young female artists in the same year, and as far as the press is concerned, why should we like each other? But then, why shouldn't we? I'm really self-maintained -- I would never let a situation get petty.

What's something surprising about Brandy that most people don't know?

Her enthusiasm for her work. A lot of times, I'll get discouraged -- then Monica needs a break, she needs time to gather her thoughts. But I've noticed that Brandy takes on a lot, and she finds a way within work to deal with it.

Now, are you seeing someone at the present time?

Yes. I am totally happy.

You have said you are not going out with any more athletes, ever.

No. I went out on a date with an athlete about three years ago. It was our first time meeting, and he was so arrogant -- he told me so much about ball and how much he contributes to a game, which I know nothing about. And I didn't even know the team he played for. That was the last time I saw him, with no regrets. So no more athletes. I'm totally happy in my current situation.

You recently moved out of your mom's house and are living on your own. How goes it?

I enjoy it. It's hard, though, because my furniture and stuff is coming into my home, and I'm not there to basically supervise the situation. I'm calling over the phone.

Did you ever write a fan letter to anyone when you were a kid?

I sure did not. Because I was so afraid of where the letter was actually going. So I was really, really afraid of sending something and getting some crazy response from the crazy person who actually received the letter.

When you were a kid, you wanted to be a beautician.

Still do. I want to open up a beauty salon in Atlanta where you can do all of the things that you do at really high-profile salons but in a comfortable setting. Sometimes in salons you'll go in and you're uncomfortable. I'm a young black woman, and I may walk into a certain area where the women are older and they're housewives and they don't really relate to me and how I dress. It's so odd -- you see the difference on the days that I dress up and put on the jewelry that I own and the days that I put my hair in a ponytail and wear sweats. I walk into some jewelry stores, I can't get help. It always goes that way.

Don't you want to embarrass people who act that way?

They embarrass themselves when they finally put it all together.

Do you plan to go to college at some point?

Yeah. I do want to major in Psychology. I'm going to have to take some correspondence classes, but that's gonna be hard for me.

How in the world are you going to fit all this in?

[coolly] I'll make a way.

JANCEE DUNN