Janelle Monae covers David Bowie's classic "Hero's" on David Letterman





Janelle greeting fans before going on the Letterman show to perform. She is soo goofy :laughing:

What was that pap pissed off about at the end?

Janelle, the anti-Miley. All talent and class.

^ you also forgot anti Beyonce and Rihanna as well.

I have no idea. He didn't sound piss to me. I am not sure what he was talking about. Its alot of people talking in the background.

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Janelle Monae's new music video for "Electric Lady"




I love this! Beautiful, classy and talented! Now this is what I call girl power!

Janelle Monae performs at the White House 2014
 

My problem is that Tightrope was soooo good, I haven't heard anything else she has done that has come close to it. Maybe I'm just more of a James Brown fan than a Janelle fan....

Janelle Monae Becomes a Mini-Mogul With Her Revamped Label

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On the palatial 35th floor of the Sony building in Midtown Manhattan, two large conference rooms have been requisitioned for what stylist Maeve Reilly calls her "pop-up store." One room is circled with racks of sleek, high-fashion finery; a large table overflows with jewelry and accessories, the floor is littered with dozens of pairs of shoes. The artists signed to Wondaland -- Janelle Monae's Atlanta-based custom label, which recently entered a joint venture with Epic Records -- wait their turns for a photo shoot in the next room, dressed in outfits that aren't necessarily uniform, but share a Prince-esque theme. That consistency carries over to every aspect of the label, whose artists hew a bass-heavy fusion of R&B and hip-hop.

"It's not just one type of artist, but there's a connective tissue," says Monae manager Mikael Moore, who also heads up the five-person label. "It's about the collective rather than individuals -- Janelle is the proprietor, but they're partners with her."

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The partnership will bow in May with a 5-song compilation EP called The Eephus, including tracks from rapper Jidenna (whose "Classic Man" hits radio Feb. 16), Roman, St. Beauty, Deep Cotton and Monae herself. The artists appear on each other's tracks, and they and the label staff have worked together under the Wondaland umbrella for years. Moore -- former chief of staff for Congresswoman Maxine Waters -- met Monae at Morehouse College in Atlanta a dozen years ago. He introduced her to his classmates Chuck Lightning and Nate Wonder, who went on to become Monae collaborators Deep Cotton. Isis from St. Beauty was one of Monae's backing singers; Roman wrote the overtures on her albums The ArchAndroid and The Electric Lady.

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The label-as-family vibe is no accident. "We looked at what Puff and Jay Z have done, Jack White and Prince as well," Monae says. "But I'm also really inspired by strong women in business, like Mellody Hobson and Queen Latifah."

Branding Roundtable: Why Janelle Monae Walked Away From a Brand Deal

Monae has run Wondaland as an imprint for several years, but began to ramp up late in 2013. She and all the artists met with several majors and got interest from many -- including Monae's home label Atlantic -- but collectively made the decision to join forces with Epic after meeting with CEO L.A. Reid and president Sylvia Rhone.

"I walked into the studio and all of Janelle's acts were in there together, they all looked like stars and they were ready to go," Reid says. "I actually met her many years ago when she was a background singer for one of Big Boi's artists. I wasn't fortunate enough to sign her at the time, so I wasn't going to let Wondaland get away."

And while artist-run labels have an uneven track record -- and Monae, while widely recognized, is not a superstar, having sold 455,000 albums to date, according to Nielsen Music -- but Epic CEO LA Reid insists, "Janelle is a boss! She's the first female label boss that I've met who is like P. Diddy and Jay Z and Andre Harrell -- she's the first female cut from that cloth."

Janelle Monae Becomes a Mini-Mogul With Her Revamped Label | Billboard

Janelle releases new music
 

04/2015

Janelle Monae has surprised everyone with a new song called "Yoga." It's the lead single from an upcoming compilation EP, Eephus, under a new joint venture between Monae's Wondaland label and Epic Records.

The singer has teamed with fellow Wondaland artist Jidenna for the up-tempo, funky tune. "Baby bend over, let your booty do that yoga," sings Janelle before boldly declaring, "You cannot police me so get off my areola."


The five-song compilation EP will arrive later this summer. "Yoga" is available now for download.

Janelle Monae Releases New Song,*"Yoga" - Music News - ABC News Radio



I love Janelle Monae and she looks beautiful in the video but I hate hate hate this song!!!! It is SOOO beneath her. Why Ms. Monae did you do this!!?!?! Tell me why!?!?!!!!!! I hope the Electric Lady stays Electric!!!!!

I watched the video before I read the sentence below it.. I was gonna question how you like this, but obviously you don't.

Song is catchy, and I like the beat.

I don't like the song because it goes against everything she represents. I have not a clue why she would do this when her previous outputs have been stellar.

What does she represent? I wasn't aware she put her opinions out in the public.

You obviously don't listen to her music or watch any of her interviews.

I listen to her music. I don't follow social media, I don't care about celebrities.

So if you listen to her music, why are you confused with what she represents?

Because I don't think artists should be confined. She's trying something new, unless she has publicly denounced the kind of music that "Yoga" represents I don't see how you could make that claim.

There is nothing wrong with artists trying new things but this song sounds like sh!t and is beneath what she is capable of doing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaYvlVR_BEc

Dropped a new ting.

I don't really like this new single.

It's OK, but doesn't get me going like the first one did.

Still looking forward to the album.

It picks up in the chorus, but I think the verse will have to be a grower for me. I'm still a bit worried about how the album is going to pan out, but also excited about it :)

This album is amazing...just listened to it today and I felt like every song was so STRONG. Haven't watch the visual album but looking forward to it after the album.

Haven't listened to the full thing yet, but I'm cautiously optimistic. I've listened to parts of it and it's been hit and miss tbh

Not the biggest fan of the most recent single, but this chick is talented for sure!

I really love Monae, but the most recent songs: Float and Lipstick Lover aren't doing it for me. I hope they grow on me. They feel really over produced and aimed at a more commercial audience.

The composition still seems really great, but it's got a lot of polish.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-hzTNVhUxs

I miss her sci fi themed stuff. This new material is like just okay. I will support her but not sure I'm liking this new chapter in her music journey.

The album is called Age of Pleasure so I'm hoping it's a one-off theme.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iofidfeWMlY

I find her albums always have these gorgeous transitions-- you've really gotta listen to them as complete bodies of work. I enjoyed the new album as a whole, but I wouldn't listen to most of the songs by themselves. The last two were my favourite.

I can listen to Float by itself and Lipstick Lover. I don't agree with your point about the songs not being able to listen to independently.

This album is focused on lighter fare and is single heavy. It isn't like her previous concept albums where you need to listen to a few songs in a row to gather the story.