Is Janelle Monáe the fuck?

He makes music, dances, acts, defends people. At Down The Rabbit Hole in 2019, he stunned with a phenomenal headline show. This summer he’ll be performing at Glastonbury, playing The Barn at Rock Werchter’s Saturday and headlining Sziget. Who is Janelle Monae?

American Janelle Monáe Robinson moved from Kansas City to New York after high school to study musical theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. He wrote musicals and plays, but felt creatively stifled in the academy. He moved to Atlanta and started writing his own music there. In 2003, he released his own demo album Audition out. He performed on campuses, where he met songwriters Chuck Lightning and Nate Wonder. Together with them, he founded the record label Wondaland Arts Society, with which they promote innovative music and art.

Science fiction

At the age of 20, he met Big Bo from OutKast, who featured him on four songs. He reintroduced her to rapper and producer Sean Combs. Janelle’s EP was released under her label Metropolis: Suite 1 (The Chase). This EP focuses on her alter ego, Cindi Mayweather. Cindi is an android who falls in love with a human and fights against a society that suppresses freedom and love.

This science fiction story continues in 2010 with Janelle’s debut album ArchAndroid. This includes “Tightrope,” which also features Big Boi. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. In the album, the alter ego Cindi turns out to be a kind of messiah who fights oppression and saves the world. The story symbolizes African-American history.

QUEEN

In 2012, Janelle Monáe is heard as a guest singer on Fun’s song We Are Young. The song became a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A year later, album two was released, Electric Lady. Other R&B artists, including Prince, collaborated on this record. The song with QUEEN Erykah Badu is getting a lot of attention. Janelle explained that the title is an acronym for marginalized groups: the a queer community, untouchables, migrants, separated in negroids.

Janelle also starts acting. For example, she starred in the movie Hidden Figures, which is about a group of black women working at NASA.

Dirty computer

Janelle’s third album Dirty computer (which does not continue with Cindi Mayweather’s story) was released in 2018. With this mix of pop, R&B, new soul and rap, she really broke into the mainstream. The funky “Make Me Feel” is probably the most famous song on this record. The song has many influences from Prince’s music. Not surprising since Prince was Janelle’s mentor and participated Dirty computer.

‘Pynk’ with Grimes also gained quite a bit of notoriety, thanks in part to the video clip. Dutch designer Duran Lantink made several vulva pants especially for the clip that matches the theme of the song. These trousers are now part of the collection of the Centraal Museum in Utrecht.

Social themes

Janelle continues to speak out on important social issues like discrimination, police brutality, and women’s rights, both in her music and in her powerful speech at the 2018 Grammy Awards. and pansexual—and, as he puts it in one interview, “a freewheeler.” He released his fourth album in 2023, The Age of Pleasure, with which he focuses more on the Afrobeat and reggae side. According to NME, with this record he is now truly ready to share his experiences as a black queer.

Festival performances

Janelle Monáe was the grand closing act of Down The Rabbit Hole in 2019. The visitors were very enthusiastic about her infectious performance. With cool, brightly colored costumes, dancers armed with water pistols, crystal clear vocals, tight choreography and a deeper layer of messages through his music, he shows that the main stage is where he belongs. This summer he will visit big stadiums and festivals like Glastonbury, Rock Werchter, Sziget and Mad Cool. Visitors can no doubt count on a great show.