Janelle Monae

Janelle presently resides in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She is a supporter of the LGBTQ community and maintains that she only dates androids, who are people she can identify with. She has not yet revealed her sexual orientation but has admitted that she likes it when members of both sexes admire her.

Some critics have referred to her as a science fiction nerd. Her music style has been described as mysterious, with a touch of the pop and jazz from the sixties. She has been influenced by the music of Michael Jackson, James Brown and Stevie Wonder.

She has often been described as a mediator between the haves and have-nots and a champion of the oppressed. Her upbringing in Kansas City has had a deep impact on her outlook to life and is reflected in her music. She refers to herself as a ‘funkstress’.

Janelle Monae was born on 1 December 1985, in Kansas City, USA. Her father was a truck driver and her mother worked as a janitor. Her initial days spent in Kansas City were difficult due to the poor financial condition and drug addiction of her father.

Janelle wanted to get out of the rut she was born in and dreamt of becoming a singer. As a child she built a make belief world around her and started believing in her dream. She was inspired by the fictional character from the musical ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and pursued her ambition of becoming a musician.

She was part of the choir in the local Baptist church and started song writing as well as story writing at a young age. She wrote the script for a play at the age of 12.

Janelle moved to New York City to join the American Musical and Dramatics Academy and attended a performing arts camp at America’s oldest African-American theatre in Philadelphia - Freedom Theatre.

In 2001, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she met Big Boi from the American hip hop group called ‘Outkast’ and joined the ‘Wondaland Arts Society’ consisting of young likeminded artists. She went on to release her debut EP titled ‘The Audition’ in 2003 that was a limited edition CD.

Janelle Monae got her first break in 2006 when she performed with ‘OutKast’ in their album titled ‘Idlewild’ where she appeared in the numbers ‘Call the Law’ and ‘In Your Dreams’. Her talent was recognised by Big Boi and his friend Sean Combs who helped her build her profile as a singer.

She released her first solo titled ‘Metropolis’ in 2007 which was again released in 2008 with some additional tracks and called ‘Metropolis: The Chase Suit’. The EP got her a nomination for Best Urban / Alternate Performance at the Grammy Awards.

Her single ‘Many Moons’ hit the top of the charts and her number ‘Open Happiness’ was featured in the final season of American Idol in 2009. This was followed by her single ‘Tightrope’ that featured in the American Idols LIVE! Tour of 2011.

Her studio album ‘The Electric Lady’ was a hit with jazz fans and was featured at the Toronto Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival and Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 2012. Her single ‘Q.U.E.E.N.’ from the album premiered on SoundCloud and iTunes making over 31,000 digital sales.

She was selected as a spokesperson for America’s cosmetic brand, ‘Cover Girl’ and performed in the festival in support of President Obama. She has appeared in a number of commercials including the campaign for Sonos Wireless HiFi home audio systems.

Janelle has released 3 albums, 13 music videos, 3 EPs and 17 singles.

Her studio albums include ‘The Audition’ (2003), ‘The ArchAndroid’ (2010) and ‘The Electric Lady’ (2013).

Her EPs are ‘Metropolis: Suit I (The Chase)’, ‘iTunes Festival: London 2013’, and ‘Wondaland Presents: The Eephus’.

She has also acted in the films ‘Hidden Figures’ and ‘Moonlight’ in 2016.

Janelle has appeared as herself in the television serials ‘Stargate Universe’ (2009), ‘Dancing With The Stars’ (2010) and ‘Saturday Night Live’ (2013).