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05-12 Janelle Monae Is Back for Plea
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Janelle Monae

She’s been called “a different kind of diva” by Vogue Magazine and “a true visionary… one of the most important signingsofmy career” by Sean “Diddy” Combs. For singer, songwriter, and high funkstress Janelle Monáe, however, the impetusremainsthe same as it’s been since before her Grammy-nominated debut EP Metropolis, Suite I: The Chase captured theimaginationsof fans and fellow artists. As she readies her first full-length LP, The ArchAndroid, her focus remains on stirringyour soul,moving your feet and simply, creating good music. The ArchAndroid blends the talent ...read more

She’s been called “a different kind of diva” by Vogue Magazine and “a true visionary… one of the most important signingsofmy career” by Sean “Diddy” Combs. For singer, songwriter, and high funkstress Janelle Monáe, however, the impetusremainsthe same as it’s been since before her Grammy-nominated debut EP Metropolis, Suite I: The Chase captured theimaginationsof fans and fellow artists. As she readies her first full-length LP, The ArchAndroid, her focus remains on stirringyour soul,moving your feet and simply, creating good music. The ArchAndroid blends the talents of executive producers Nate Wonder, Chuck Lightning, Janelle Monáe and Sean“Diddy”Combs, with co-executive production by Big Boi of Outkast. ““Musically, The ArchAndroid is an epic James Bond film inouterspace,” describes Monáe, “in terms of influences it’s just all the things I love— scores for films like Goldfinger mixedwithalbums I adore such as Stevie’s Music of my Mind, David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, and jamming experimental hip hop stufflikeStankonia.” The ArchAndroid is a soaring, orchestral trip enlivened with blockbuster vocals, mysterious imagery, and notes of 60s popandjazz. “It’s an organic symphonic sound,” says Monáe, who enlisted the talents of the Wondaland ArchOchestra to realizehersound. Elaborate orchestral arrangements were composed and conducted by Nate “Rocket” Wonder and Roman GianArthurforWondaland Productions. Featured guests include the legendary Big Boi of OutKast, renowned poet Saul Williams,thepsychedelic dance-punk troupe Of Montreal and punk prophets Deep Cotton. The album realizes the next chapter in the story of Cindi Mayweather, the heroine of Monáe’s debut album Metropolis. Shehasbeen sent to free the citizens of Metropolis from the Great Divide, a secret society using time travel to suppress freedomandlove throughout the ages. “It’s said that when the ArchAndroid returns, it will mean freedom for the androidcommunity,”explains Monáe. “Cindi Mayweather realizes that she is indeed the ArchAndroid.” If this all sounds like the plot of a great movie, the Wondaland crew views each album as the creation of an “emotionpicture.”Says Monáe, “The ArchAndroid is very inspiring for me. In terms of writing the music, we wanted the story to beverycompelling, but we also wanted to make sure that the journey we’re taking people on makes them feel like they’rewatchingone big emotion picture.” The writing process was incredibly intense for everyone involved. “The music wouldsometimes wakeus up in our sleep. We’d record melodies on our phone. Sometimes we’d stay up for days at a time justwriting this music. Thestory and visions coming to us were so great that we wanted this music to capture everything wewere feeling inside.” “Over the last year and a half when we were recording the ArchAndroid I went through a very transformative period inmylife,” explains Monáe, who has spent the time between albums traveling the world on tour. She’s joined artists NoDoubt,Paramore and Erykah Badu on dates in various cities around the globe, including Istanbul, Berlin, Moscow and NewYork. Shecompleted the album back home in Atlanta at Wondaland Studios and a strange haunted asylum for super-poweredsavantscalled The Palace of the Dogs. “The less said about that, the better—although I did like the Musiquarium [therecordingstudio] there, and I’ve got to thank Max Stellings [the asylum director] for allowing me to release these recordingsto theworld.” “Overall, this music came from various corners of the world—from Turkey to Prague to Atlanta—places we were on tour.Whilerecording, we’d experiment with different sounds. Once we became engulfed in the sound, we all had an emotionalconnectionto the album. It has definitely transformed my way of thinking, the way that I approach the stage and overall, mylife.” The album’s first single, “Tightrope”, featuring Outkast’s Big Boi, speaks to her commitment to remain focused onwhatmatters: the music. “As an artist it’s very important to always keep my balance and not get too high or too low aboutthings.Even when I’m getting lots of positive reinforcement, to remain calm and enjoy the journey.” A funky party jamemboldenedby the “classy brass” of Wondaland’s horn section, “Tightrope” features Monáe’s honeyed vocals reminding herlisteners, andperhaps herself, “When you get elevated/ they love it or they hate/ keep dancing on them haters.” Monáe alsodescribes therecording process as a lot of fun. “We were up dancing on couches, jumping around, having jam sessions forhours and hours,just really enjoying ourselves,” she says with a laugh. “We let our free spirits come out and just listened toour hearts andthe melodies that were within.” Now that the album is poised to release, she is focusing her talents on a deluxegraphic novelversion of the album called The Red Book, as well as Dance Or Die, the eighteen-chapter ArchAndroid musicvideo collection. The journey of the past two years, she says, has taught her to “embrace the things that make me unique and tocontinuebeing an even bigger agent of change, especially as an artist.” Her hope is that listeners, inspired by the album,“embracetheir own superpowers and become the voice of change, the hero—or The ArchAndroid—in their own communities.” http://www.jmonae.com/bio/ « hide

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LPs
The Age of Pleasure
2023

2.6
86 Votes
Dirty Computer
2018

3.5
373 Votes
The Electric Lady
09/10/2013

3.8
494 Votes
The ArchAndroid
2010

4.1
908 Votes
EPs
Metropolis: The Chase Suite
2008

3.9
198 Votes
Compilations
The Audition
2003

3.5
10 Votes

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