The album deviated from the formula of her debut Miss Thang (1995) as she had more creative control over the material she recorded; a step that she considered a "natural progression".

On the record, Monica worked with a variety of producers and writers from different genres such as gospel, R&B, and hip hop, including frequent collaborators Dallas Austin, Colin Wolfe, and Daryl Simmons.

Additional producers included David Foster, Diane Warren, Jermaine Dupri, and Rodney Jerkins and his Darkchild crew, some of which would become household names on subsequent albums.

Upon release, The Boy Is Mine received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics, who appreciated the album's production quality and praised Monica's overall vocal performance.

Her biggest international seller to date, it became a moderate success outside the United States, peaking within the top twenty in France, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

Lead single "The Boy Is Mine", a duet with singer Brandy, became the best-selling song of the year in the United States, spending 13 weeks on top of the US Billboard Hot 100, while peaking at number one in Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

After Monica signed a deal to Rowdy Records, her debut album Miss Thang was released in July 1995, selling about one and a half million copies in the United States alone.

Again, she worked closely with Dallas Austin on the bulk of the album, who shared executive producer credit with Davis on The Boy Is Mine.

[30] The tour began on June 17 in Indianapolis and ended on August 21 in Washington, D.C.[30] In the midst of the festival Monica partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to create skating parties.

[37] In November 1999, it was announced that Monica along with NSYNC, Wyclef Jean and Destiny's Child would perform at the Beacon Theatre for a HIV/AIDS awareness concert put together by Life Beat.

[39] The collaboration received favorable reviews from contemporary music critics and became the first number-one pop record for both artists, both stateside and internationally.

Exploiting the media's presumption of a rivalry between the two young singers, "The Boy Is Mine" became the best-selling song of the year in the United States, spending 13 weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100.

[44] Upon its release, The Boy Is Mine garnered generally mixed to positive reviews from contemporary music critics, many of whom liked the album's ballads and classic sound, praising Monica for her vocal performance.

He felt that The Boy Is Mine compromised "a better, more consistent batch of songs" when in comparison to her debut album Miss Thang, led by productions from Dallas Austin who "not only does he give her songs immaculately crafted musical backdrops – both ballads and up-tempo dance numbers sound irresistible – but he helps her cultivate her voice so she sounds more mature than her 17 years.

Like them, she's a major league talent who knows it takes more than a great and memorable voice to bat the ball out of the park – and it's a pleasure to recommend someone with that type of professional savvy.

"[50] Natasha Stovall from the Rolling Stone gave The Boy Is Mine a mixed review, describing it as "a more classic path, with help from the cool hand of producer Dallas Austin."

She found that the songs "hearken back past hip-hop songbirds like Mary J. Blige and adult-contemporary sirens like Toni Braxton to someplace closer to soul's source."

Praising her vocals, Stovall commented that "Monica uses her honey-dipped, church-worthy voice to lift her radiofriendly tunes – and, hopefully, the rest of contemporary R&B – to a higher plane.

"[52] Entertainment Weekly was critical on the amount of "mid-tempo ballads about love lost", but was positive towards the other songs on the album, writing that "much of this groove-driven disc, like the Jermaine Dupri-produced "The First Night", should keep her airwave run alive.

"[49] Generally positive toward The Boy Is Mine, Vibe magazine felt that "no longer encumbered by the extreme youth that made some of the more sensuous moments on Miss Thang vaguely embarrassing, Monica embraces womanhood with the full force of her raspy, resonant alto and flourishing postadolescent libido.

[62] In June 2000, The Boy Is Mine was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of three million copies.