'I'm embracing the things that are different now and the things that have changed for me,' Monica tells MTV News of New Life album.By Rob Markman

MonicaPhoto: MTV News

Monica may have titled her latest album New Life, but there are some things the velvety-voiced singer wanted to keep the same — including her working relationship with Missy Elliott.

"New Life was just me saying, 'This is the place that I'm at and I'm embracing the things that are different now and the things that have changed for me,' " she told MTV News on Tuesday (April 10).

The duo have worked together for years, and in 2003, they came up with one of Monica's most memorable songs to date: "So Gone." It's a chemistry that neither wants to abandon anytime soon.

"Missy is one of my dearest friends, and I think her humility and her compassion for other people is what makes her music so great," Monica said.

The bond that both women share is the reason they yield such memorable results. "Knock Knock," "A Dozen Roses (Remind Me of You)" and the Grammy-nominated "Everything to Me" are just a few of the records on which they've collaborated. Monica counts "So Gone" as her favorite to date.

"She wrote that record after eavesdropping on my phone conversation," Monica recalled, laughing. "So when you think about things like that, that can only be done by somebody that's very close to you."

Elliott didn't write Monica's lyrics — Jazmine Sullivan gets credit for that — but Missy did produce the breakup ode. The two worked out of Missy's house in Atlanta and came up with songs that were vocally challenging for the veteran singer. This time, though, there was no eavesdropping.

"When it came to 'Until It's Gone,' I probably was just sharing," Monica laughed. "I was already in a sharing mood."

What's your favorite song from Monica's New Life? Tell us in the comments!

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