Janelle Monàe
An artist, misunderstood
Not every star is recognized for their value. Janelle Monàe is one of them.
Over the years, she has dedicated so much effort in various artistic avenues. Those who havent found joy in her music have likely been exposed to her acting chops. Whether it be through Rio 2, Hidden Figures, Glass Onion or Moonlight, she offered good, and sometimes, great performances. Although she is regarded positively in that sense, many seem to be unable to view her for what she is; a misunderstood artist.
I was first introduced to her when my older cousin presented “The ArchAndroid” to me. She tried to tell me how amazing Janelle is and the importance of her work. Honestly, I didn’t care. I was simply too young. The song that stood out to me at the time was “Electric Lady”. It’s a beautiful anthem for black joy. The music video also brings so much happiness and the representation it offered when I was so young truly affected me. I still revisit it every now and then.
The controversy
Janelle Monae is victim to an immature and close-minded general public. From the beginning of her career, she never hid her sexual fluidity. In Tightrope, she smoothly refers to her identity as “black and white”. This side of her is intrinsic to her identity but also doesn’t become her. The same way racial identity is important to each of us, it also doesn’t define everything we are.
Monae strongly believes in pride, whether it be racial, sexual or romantic. She has always been vocal on the matters of racism, sexism, colourism, sexual liberation and artistic liberty. She may demonstrate that in ways that upset the public (ex: freeing the nipple) but when examined from a larger lens, the outrage is purely due to immaturity and incomprehension. Let’s take the 2023 Met Gala for exemple, her outfit was heavily discussed and regarded as an embarrassing look. But if you think about it, the met gala is THE place to make your message go through. I mean, if you’re going to go to a gala that fronts as a charity event but is actually a commercial hotspot, you might as well scream your cause while you can. And even so, it’s her body, her image, and we’ve all seen female bodies before. I have my own disagreements with it, but its not because of the action itself.
If we’re honest, she simply expressed her feminism the same way her fellow millennial white feminists did. People just don’t want to hear or see this kind of feminism. And I do agree, that in some ways it can be counter productive. It’s simply disheartening to see that this facet of herself discourages so many people from appreciating her art…
Listen along:
The music
Janelle has an amazing voice and she produces ethereal music that I believe could be loved by the masses if the right opportunity came along. I believe that Electric Lady is her best album. Although, ArchAndroid follows very closely in ranking.
Archandroid (2010)
Electric Lady (2013)
Can’t Live Without Your Love
Dorothy Dandridge Eyes (ft. Esperanza Spalding)
Electric Lady (Feat. Solange)
The Age of Pleasure (2023)
Upcoming review…
