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05-12 Janelle Monae Is Back for Plea
02-23 Two new Janelle Monae singles
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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.”
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