Janelle Monáe is one of the most dynamic artists of her time, fusing soul, funk, hip-hop, and new wave -- among other genres -- with a spirited conceptual approach that seems to treat art and entertainment as indivisible. The Grammy-nominated singer/rapper, songwriter, arranger, producer, actor, and author spent years grinding away in the Atlanta underground before she left her mark on 2010s R&B with a stylish retro-futuristic sound wrapped in theatrical science-fiction themes. Her albums
The ArchAndroid (2010),
The Electric Lady (2013), and
Dirty Computer (2018), all Top 20 hits, are complex works examining subjects such as oppression, identity, and liberation as they relate to race and sexuality. At the same time,
Monáe and her Wondaland collaborators have stressed singles as much as epic full-length statements, earning gold certifications for "Tightrope" (featuring early supporter
Big Boi), "Yoga," "Make Me Feel," and "I Like That."
Monáe's third album became the basis of The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer (2022), her first collection of sci-fi writing. As an actor,
Monáe is known for her roles in films such as Moonlight, Hidden Figures, and Antebellum, as well as the series Homecoming.
Growing up,
Janelle Monáe felt constrained by the limited resources offered in her greater Kansas City, Kansas environment. When she finished high school, she moved to New York to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy with the intention of pursuing musical theater. After performing in a couple off-Broadway shows and encountering a lack of desirable roles, she opted to try her luck in Atlanta. She soon joined a band and toured the local college circuit, where she eventually got in touch with her future partners in Wondaland Arts Society -- a collective and label that looked to promote experimental arts -- and recorded The Audition, which she financed, released, and distributed in a run of a few hundred copies.
OutKast's
Big Boi included two of the songs from the set, the
Off the Wall-styled "Lettin' Go" and an electro version of
DeBarge's "Time Will Reveal," on his 2005 compilation
Got Purp?, Vol. 2.
Monáe also appeared on
OutKast's 2006 soundtrack
Idlewild and was in the video for "Morris Brown."
Monáe made her proper solo debut in August 2007 with an EP entitled
The Chase, the first of four planned "Metropolis suites" based in the year 2719 with a character named Cindi Mayweather as the protagonist. Its mix of cabaret, soul, hip-hop, and new wave was well received and found a fan in
Sean "Diddy" Combs. Rumors about a signing were finally confirmed in March 2008, when
Combs announced
Monáe as the newest member of his Bad Boy roster.
Monáe promised that the move wouldn't compromise any of her artistic integrity or creativity, and a re-release of
The Chase, featuring bonus content, followed shortly thereafter. The second and third suites of Metropolis were issued together as components of
The ArchAndroid. Released in May 2010, the album debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and resulted in the first of several Grammy nominations for
Monáe, including Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance, the latter for lead single "Tightrope."
After
Fun.'s number one pop hit "We Are Young," featuring
Monáe, was nominated for multiple Grammy Awards, she returned in September 2013 with
The Electric Lady. Billed as Metropolis suites four and five, it was even more expansive than the preceding full-length --
Prince,
Erykah Badu,
Esperanza Spalding,
Solange, and
Miguel were among the guests -- and entered the Billboard 200 at number five.
Monáe then moved the Wondaland label to Epic and launched the partnership with 2015's Wondaland Presents: The Eephus, a various-artists EP featuring her "Yoga" and, more significantly,
Jidenna's platinum single "Classic Man." On tour in support of the EP,
Monáe and her band performed the anti-police brutality song "Hell You Talmbout," not included on The Eephus but released separately as an instrumental.
Occupied with acting roles in two of the biggest films of 2016, the award-winning Moonlight and Hidden Figures,
Monáe recorded intermittently, including but not limited to a part in the multi-artist charity recording "This Is for the Girls," songs for the Hidden Figures soundtrack, and a contribution to
Jidenna's
The Chief. She also collaborated with
Grimes and recorded "Hum Along and Dance (Gotta Get Down)" for the Netflix series
The Get Down. In April 2018, she released her third album, the frolicsome yet defiant
Dirty Computer. The comparatively pop-oriented set previewed with "Django Jane" and "Make Me Feel," the latter of which added
Julia Michaels and Justin Trantor to
Monáe's list of studio collaborators. Along with debuting at number six on the Billboard 200, the album earned
Monáe two Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year.
More acting roles followed for
Monáe over the next few years. They included a supporting role in the Harriet Tubman biopic Harriet, and appearing as noted feminist and child welfare advocate Dorothy Pitman Hughes in the Gloria Steinem biopic The Glorias, plus starring roles in the horror film Antebellum and the second season of psychological thriller series Homecoming.
Monáe concurrently recorded the song "Turntables" for the documentary film All In: The Fight for Democracy. In 2021,
Monáe was behind "Stronger" (for the educational animated series We the People) and an 18-minute updated version of "Hell You Talmbout," "Say Her Name (Hell You Talmbout)," featuring over a dozen voices ranging from those of
Beyoncé,
Alicia Keys, and
Brittany Howard to Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza and Pulitzer-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones.
Monáe debuted on The New York Times Best Sellers list in 2022 with the sci-fi collection The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer. Having come out four years earlier as pansexual,
Monáe confirmed in 2022 that she identifies as nonbinary. ~ Andy Kellman