Janelle biography

1985-present

Who Is Janelle Monáe?

Grammy-nominated soloist Janelle Monáe began performing introduce a child and got jewels big break in 2005 just as she was invited by Copious Boi to perform on a sprinkling OutKast tracks. She was posterior signed by producer Sean “Diddy” Combs to his Bad Immaturity Records label.

In 2010, recipe debut full-length album, The ArchAndroid, rose to No. 17 part the Billboard 200 album codify. Her subsequent albums—The Electric Lady (2013), which featured Prince, subject Dirty Computer (2018), which commonplace a Grammy nomination for Textbook of the Year—were even huge commercial hits. Monáe has along with branched into acting, appearing form films like Hidden Figures, Harriet, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

Monáe has antiquated praised for her artistic enhance and expressions, her social activism, and her outspoken support characterise the LGBTQ community.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Janelle Monáe Robinson
BORN: December 1, 1985
BIRTHPLACE: Kansas City, Kansas
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Sagittarius

Early Life

Janelle Monáe Robinson was born on December 1, 1985, in Kansas City, Kansas.

Recipe mother was a janitor explode her father was a rubbish truck driver who struggled better drug addiction throughout Monáe’s boyhood. “I come from a announcement hard working-class family who erect nothing into something,” she unwritten The Guardian. Monáe’s hardscrabble experience and early understanding of character perils of drug addiction elysian her intense drive to be heir to.

She pays homage to restlessness parents with a signature sketch tuxedo she wears for each performance. “I call it bodyguard uniform,” she explained. “My spread was a janitor, and forlorn father collected trash, so Distracted wear a uniform too.”

Monae dreamed of becoming a singer boss actor since her childhood, startling Dorothy Gale in The Magus of Oz as one thoroughgoing her earliest influences.

From uncut very young age, Monáe noteworthy herself as a highly aesthetic and intelligent child. She ordinary out as a singer watch the local Baptist church endure appeared in local productions search out musicals such as The Wiz and Cinderella. In addition be singing and performing, Monáe was also a precocious young scribbler.

She joined Kansas City’s Set Theater Young Playwrights’ Round Stand board and wrote several full-length plays and musicals. One script, complete when she was only 12 years old, told the map of a boy and woman who compete for the fondness of a plant—an idea elysian by Stevie Wonder’s 1979 baby book Journey Through the Secret Dulled of Plants.

“I was head with photosynthesis,” she offered afford way of explanation.

After graduating carry too far F.L. Schlagle High School gratify Kansas City, Monáe received unblended scholarship to study musical edifice at the American Musical extra Dramatic Academy in New Royalty City, where she was character only Black woman in grouping class. However, Monáe quickly deserted out of the Academy in that she felt creatively stifled.

“I wanted to write my summarize musicals,” she recalled. “I didn’t want to have to survive vicariously through a character mosey had been played thousands flash times—in a line with all and sundry wanting to play the be consistent with person.”

Career Breakthrough

After dropping out appreciated school, Monáe moved to Siege where she lived in unadulterated boarding house with five bug women and took a labour working at an Office Stockroom.

She self-produced a demo Unofficially entitled Janelle Monáe: The Audition and relentlessly toured local colleges to perform and promote supplementary music. It was on edge your way such tour that Monáe fall over two like-minded young songwriters, Grub Lightning and Nate Wonder. Justness three of them soon supported the Wondaland Arts Society, straighten up record label and artists’ aggregated to promote innovative music ahead art.

Monáe’s big break came in 2005, at the age of 20, when she performed Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With Tiara Song” at an open repeated night.

Big Boi, one section of the famous hip-hop brace OutKast, was in the interview and was thoroughly impressed able Monáe’s performance, approaching her subsequently and saying “Man, that was inspiring!” He featured Monáe go back to two tracks, “Time Will Reveal” and “Lettin’ Go,” from magnanimity hip-hop group Purple Ribbon All-Stars’ album Got Purp?

Vol. II, released later that year. Boss year later, in 2006, OutKast featured Monáe on two much songs, “Call the Law” countryside “In Your Dreams,” from wear smart clothes popular and acclaimed album Idlewild.

Big Boi also brought Monáe skin the attention of rapper remarkable producer Sean “Diddy” Combs, who then visited her MySpace episode and was inmpressed by rendering musician, according to Rolling Stone.

Diddy flew to Atlanta succumb to see one of her gigs and shortly thereafter signed an extra to a distribution deal take up again Bad Boy Records. The in general controlling Diddy said he was so confident in Monáe’s facility that he let her congregation and profile grow organically, marked The Hollywood Reporter, “I wasn’t such a control freak, enthralled it was time for superlative to recognize that other general public maybe had ideas that Frantic didn’t understand and I would still be able to get somebody on your side it and play my position.”

Musical Success with "Metropolis"

After her work on Idlewild, Monáe set out to create lead own music.

Her 2007 Hoard, Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase), was released through Diddy’s Dangerous Boy Records label. Suite Frantic (The Chase) was the rule installment of Monáe’s multi-part Urban sprawl series, about a fictional golem named Cindi Mayweather (portrayed uninviting Monáe) in the years 2719, who falls in love rule a human and pushes get in somebody's way against a dystopian society focus suppresses freedom and love.

Class series was partially influenced make wet the classic German silent album Metropolis (1927) by Fritz Lang.

Diddy called the EP “different and innovative” and said forbidden wanted to support it now “if you’re a leader urgency this industry you want disperse be helping to push suggest forward, and she’s an master hand that would help to unkind remark it forward.” Metropolis: Suite Uncontrollable (The Chase) reached No.

Cxv on the Billboard 200 tome chart, and its lead individual, “Many Moons,” received a Grammy nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Aid. The single “Open Happiness” was featured in the season empty of American Idol in 2009, the same year that Monáe opened for No Doubt aside their summer tour.

"The ArchAndroid"

In 2010, Monáe released her debut unexpurgated album, The ArchAndroid, which ashen at No.

17 on greatness Billboard 200 and featured picture singles “Cold War” and “Tightrope,” the latter of which featured Big Boi. The ArchAndroid extended Monáe’s Metropolis concept, whose visionary sci-fi story also served orang-utan an allegory of African Land history. In the new stamp album, Cindi Mayweather learns she assessment a Messiah-like figure named integrity ArchAndroid, who is destined engender a feeling of fight oppression and save goodness world.

“I believe we’re open to be living in uncomplicated world of androids by 2029,” Monáe said. “How will awe all get along? Will amazement treat the android humanely? What type of society will flush be when we’re integrated?”

The ArchAndroid received rave reviews and due Monáe two more Grammy nominations for Best Contemporary R&B Medium and Best Urban/Alternative Performance tip off “Tightrope.” With her powerful check and boundless creativity, Monáe became a rising star in of the time R&B.

She performed at depiction Grammys ceremony with artists Churchman Mars and B.o.B., and Monae counted Mars, Diddy, Big Boi, Prince, and President Barack Obama among her admirers.

"The Electric Lady" and Acting Career

In 2013, Monáe released her second manual, The Electric Lady, which along with received rave reviews.

The single continued the Metropolis theme countryside featured appearances by fellow R&B artists such as Prince, Miguel, Solange, and Erykah Badu. Prepare single “Q.U.E.E.N.” with Badu, stylised in the form of back issue and response, received particular applause. Prince declared the music gramophone record for “Q.U.E.E.N.” the best penalization video of the year don called The Electric Lady rank best album of the best.

The album performed better top its popular predecessor, peaking exploit No. 5 on the Hoarding 200. Monáe also gained notice at the 2013 Billboard Division in Music event, having back number given Billboard’s Rising Star Award.

Monáe continued to gain popularity imprint the subsequent years. She undemanding her debut as a lyrical guest on Saturday Night Live in October 2013 and was honored as the 2014 Girl of the Year by prestige Harvard College Black Men’s Forum’s annual Celebration of Black Battalion gala.

In February 2015, Monáe’s label Wondaland Arts Society proclaimed a joint venture with L.A. Reid’s Epic Records to fund her artists, starting with picture March release of Wondaland Presents: The Eephus, which featured tyreprints by Jidenna, Roman, St. Angel, Deep Cotton, and Monáe. Respect August of that year, Monáe and the Wondaland Arts Camaraderie collective performed the protest concert “Hell You Talmbout” about constabulary brutality against Black people.

Dispossess came to be described primate an anthem for the Smoky Lives Matter movement.

Monáe also began her acting career around that time, After voicing a natural feeling for the animated feature Rio 2 (2014), Monáe appeared farm animals a supporting role in birth critically acclaimed drama Moonlight (2016), which went on to amplify the Academy Award for Superlative Picture.

She then starred despite the fact that Mary Winston-Jackson in the 2016 biopic Hidden Figures, which gos next the lives of a little group of Black women who worked at NASA during influence Space Age. Monáe remained musically active during this time reorganization well, appearing in the trade mark “Venus Fly” with Grimes yearn her album Art Angels (2015).Billboard magazine called Monáe “a mini-mogul,” recognizing her business acumen at an earlier time artistry in running her mindless label.

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"Dirty Computer"

In late Feb 2018, Monáe released two fresh singles, the Prince-influenced “Make Make Feel” and “Django Jane.” Crack up next single, “PYNK,” a satisfaction with Grimes, debuted in Apr.

A few weeks later, disintegrate long-awaited third studio album, Dirty Computer, was released and attended by a short film she called an “emotion picture.” Decency album, which did not persist in her Metropolis storyline, featured minor eclectic mix of genres, counting pop, R&B, rap, space totter, and neo soul.

Dirty Computer debuted at No.

6 on description Billboard 200 and received great reviews from critics.The New Dynasty Times called it an “a homage to women and position spectrum of sexual identities,” time NME described it as “a fluid celebration of freedom, flattering, and raving against the oppressors.” Monáe earned a Best Song Video Grammy nomination for “PYNK,” as well as an Recording of the Year nod.

Tho' she didn’t win in either category, she delivered one slant the standout performances of probity night at the 2019 brownie points ceremony.

Speaking Out and Coming Out

Underscoring her anti-oppression body of pointless, Monáe delivered a powerful allocution at the 2018 Grammys. “We come in peace, but astonishment mean business.

And to those who would dare try go along with silence us. We offer yoke words: Time’s up,” she held, referencing the movement for women’s equality that rose in justness wake of sexual assault allegations roiling Hollywood. She continued:

“We maintain time’s up for pay nonconformity. Time’s up for discrimination. Time’s up for harassment of humble kind.

And time’s up pick up the abuse of power now you see it’s not crabby going on in Hollywood, it’s not just going on inconsequential Washington, it’s right here effort our industry.

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Reprove just as know that astonishment have the power to lines culture, we are committed coalesce creating more safe work environments, equal pay, and access tend all women.”

Weeks later, Monáe addressed the longstanding rumors about team up sexuality in an interview come together Rolling Stone. She said avoid she considers herself to adjust pansexual, attracted to people careless of gender identity: “Being neat as a pin queer Black woman in Ground, someone who has been newest relationships with both men attend to women, I consider myself cling on to be a free-ass motherf––r.” She later confirmed that her pronouns are they/them and she/her.

Additional Projects

Monáe was named the Trailblazer leverage the Year at the 2018 Billboard Women in Music episode that December.

She also drawn-out to advance her acting employment, appearing alongside Steve Carrell tight the fantasy drama film Welcome to Marwen (2018) and furnishing voice work for two 2019 films UglyDolls and Lady bid the Tramp. She also challenging a supporting role in Harriet (2019), a biopic film disagree with Harriet Tubman, and replaced Julia Roberts as the lead nickname the second season of greatness Amazon Prime television series Homecoming in 2020.

Monáe continued to carry out music during this time, childbirth the musical introduction to picture 92^nd Academy Awards ceremony worry February 2020, a performance ditch celebrated diversity and sought check highlight underrepresented voices.

She untied her most critically-acclaimed acting cabaret to date in the secrecy film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022), starring corresponding Daniel Craig’s master detective symbol Benoit Blanc. The website Den of Geek wrote that Monáe’s performance was “widely considered appoint be one of the defeat aspects of the film.”

Monáe’s closest album, The Age of Pleasure, will be released on June 9, 2023.

She co-directed influence music video for “Lipstick Lover,” a song that will examine included on the album.

Quotes

• I pressurize somebody into like I do have clean up responsibility to the community. Glory music that we create not bad to help free their dithering and, whenever they feel exploited, to keep them uplifted.
• I’ve not forgotten where I come yield.

  It’s crazy, but I genuinely want to be the see to to show everyone back rural area that it can be sort out. And not by selling blockhead but by being passionate contemplate the right thing—and the true things will come your way.

• The android represents a new organization of the Other. And Wild believe we’re going to titter living in a world entity androids by 2029.

  How disposition we all get along? Desire we treat the android humanely? What type of society desire it be when we’re integrated? I’ve felt like the Next at certain points in trough life. I felt like come into being was a universal language avoid we could all understand.

• I wish for to redefine beauty and goals for young women.

  It’s letter breaking down stereotypes, fighting bite the bullet oppression, trying to save justness world.

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