Janelle Monae
Janelle Monae
Janelle Monáe Robinson, known professionally as Janelle Monáe, is an American musical recording artist, actress, model signed to Bad Boy Records, Wondaland Arts Society, and Atlantic Records. After making a mark with her first unofficial studio album, The Audition, she publicly debuted with a conceptual EP titled Metropolis: Suite I, which peaked at number 115 on the Billboard 200 in the United States...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSoul Singer
Date of Birth1 December 1985
CityKansas City, KS
CountryUnited States of America
When I was growing up, both my grandmothers would play the organ, and we would all sing.
It's unfortunate that a lot of people think African-American female artists are monolithically R&B this-or-that, don't have to do anything by default.
There are months when I'm on a plane every day!
I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's when I realized that I could actually go away.
My message is that I want to reach the people - the people who work each and every day.
Once you find what you like, it's like it worked yesterday, it works today, it'll work tomorrow.
I'll refer to my music in color, like 'This song needs to be bright red.'
I have a great body, I really do. But I want to be taken seriously as an artist, and wearing anything that shows it off will be a distraction from the music. That's how my signature uniform, my tuxedo, came about. It's classic and timeless. You'll see me in black, white, and a pop of color on my lips. That pop adds a little magic.
We don't all have to take the same coordinates to get to the same destination. Being a young African American female artist, I want to open doors for young black girls.
Becoming a CoverGirl is truly an honor and a gift. It opens up a new platform for me to inspire women to feel stronger, braver and more beautiful inside and out.
I listen to Prince on my iPad. And I use a Chords & Scales app to warm up before performing.
It's hard for me to be serious. I can't really rub oil on me and go all the way with it [laughs]. I hear some screams and I laugh to myself. I always get a kick out of it. I'm three feet tall, basically.
I enjoy how women dressed in the 1920s with the shimmering jewels and rich feathers.
Honestly, I don't believe in menswear. I focus on what pieces are most timeless, transcendent, match my lifestyle, remain remarkable, and command intriguing attention across the room at an art gallery.