DATELINE HOLLYWOOD
Janelle Monáe
In the early days, I really worked hard to cultivate my own specific image and it was a big part of who I was
Danny Bowman checks her journey to fame
Across multiple disciplines, Janelle Monáe proves that her creative output is as rich and dynamic now than it has been at any point in the past. She may have only released one studio album in the last seven years but Janelle has an attitude, persona and image that lasts well beyond release dates or tour schedules.
The Kansas born singer and actress who leapt to our attention almost a decade ago when she paired up with US band Fun for the transatlantic chart topper ‘We Are Young,’ has a consistency of style and musical sense that frequently outperforms her rivals and contemporaries.
“In the early days, I really worked hard to cultivate my own specific image and it was a big part of who I was,” Janelle muses.
She explains: “I don’t think that’s so unusual because when you’re starting out, you always have your label telling you to dress differently, behave differently, sing differently and dance differently to everyone else.”
“There’s a big part of you that’s ready to go along with that and enjoy the experience but there’s another part that turns around and says: ‘Hey, why am I doing this – this isn’t me!’” she confesses.
Janelle elaborates: “As time goes on, I think you move back closer to being the person you should be... the natural performer that you are. You take more confidence in knowing you can be yourself and not this slightly ‘outrageousexaggerated’ version of yourself, safe in the knowledge that your entire fan base won’t turn away from you!”
That’s certainly not happened across three hugely successful solo albums and a variety of other collaboration projects.
The 35-year-old has ebbed and swayed around a sound that has a base in R&B but isn’t afraid to diverge into soul, pop and even orchestral. The artiste’s willingness to stretch boundaries is merely a reflection of the influences she grew up with.
“Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time simply cultivating sounds since I’m not like most people in the sense of being married to one genre of music. I’ve always had so much diverse sounds around me from Judy Garland and Jimi Hendrix to Pink Floyd and James Brown,” says Janelle.
She adds: “With that kind of palette, it’s very natural for me to decide what to stretch out and
experiment with – I don’t think I could do it any other way.”
“I like great music and honest music – it’s the only thing in my life that has the ability to truly define me,” Janelle remarks.
The thing that creates a sense of authenticity throughout Monáe’s music is the feeling of representation. She credits her working-class roots as a driver to authenticity.
And she often refers to ghetto emotions and credits her mother in particular for setting her on a path of accomplishment that runs so much deeper than the flashbulbs of awards ceremonies. Despite the various Grammy nominations, this implies that she shouldn’t be afraid of the acclaim her creative ingenuity brings.
Janelle explains that “it doesn’t matter what you produce so long as music comes from the heart, and as long as the message you’re putting across is one that is spoken and heartfelt. Firstly, you know why you have said it; and secondly, you know that whoever is listening can make their own interpretation and hear their own message.”
Perhaps it’s the authenticity with which Monáe goes about her work that also makes her credible as an actress.
With the release of psychological thriller Antebellum, Janelle adds to a growing list of actors who showcase everything from voice over work to biographical dramas such as 2016’s hugely successful Hidden Figures, and hits like Moonlight and Amazon’s hugely successful series Homecoming.
She affirms: “To have the freedom to work across performing disciplines such as acting and singing is such a pleasure. I don’t want to push too far in either direction but if the project excites and tests me, then invariably I will find a real drive to go after it.”
Speculation about the performer’s private relationships, not least with Tessa Thompson, are always met with short shrift because her global base of fans remains much more interested in Janelle’s output rather than her personal life. “We are artistes and the speculation should really begin and end with that,” she asserts.
Monáe adds: “I know it’s not that simple; but I want to be remembered for what I’ve produced when I had an invitation to be creative and put my head behind something – rather than who I may or may not have kissed… and I think that’s fair enough.”
I’ve spent a lot of time simply cultivating sounds since I’m not like most people in the sense of being married to one genre of music