Janelle Monae has modest sci-fi style

From hip-hop to Broadway to sci-fi, R&B artist Janelle Monae's current project, "Metropolis" is being released in four separate suites. Each album will have four or five songs and gives you a taste of what this ingenious artist is all about.

Her albums focus on a character named Cindi Mayweather, an Alpha Platinum 9000. According to Monae, she's like the Elvis and James Brown of her day. She's programmed not to love and not to have any feelings, but also to free the other androids who don't know that they're slaves. Monae and Mayweather have a pact in that Monae has to tell her world about Mayweather's struggling life and vice versa.

It sounds a sci-fi B-movie doesn't it? Well, no matter how outlandish, Monae, along with her Wondaland Arts Society create music that tells a story using experimental elements of audio theatrics.

When she comes to greet me in the lobby, Monae is petite in stature, but big in charisma. Her finely coiffed hair resembles an appropriate "Alice in Wonderland" personality and she wears a crisp oxford and high-waisted pants. Her clothes are simple but she wears them in a way that is intriguingly fantastical and nostalgic.

I had the chance to speak with her about her brilliant fantastical album, her new deal with Sean Combs's label, Bad Boy Entertainment  and of course, her uncanny sense of style.

So many questions run through my mind about this curious artist, so I just decided to dive right into things after some friendly salutations.

Dino-Ray: So you've worked with Big Boi from Outkast and you recently got  signed to Bad Boy - how did all of this start?

Janelle Monae: I actually met Big Boi and Sean Combs's restaurant, Justin's, in Atlanta. I was performing on stage and it was around the time when I was doing an AUC dorm lounge tour. I would just perform and uplift the students. I guess Big Boi liked what he heard. After I performed, I felt this person grab my arm and he was like, "We have to work together. I want you to be on this compilation CD I am working on, 'Got Purp Volume II'"  The song, "Letting Go," was my first national release. After that, he and Andre asked me to be on "Idyllwild." I was so nervous because I grew up listening to Outkast and they've been a huge influence in my music. And for them to want me to be a part of their project was overwhelming. I learned a lot. My song, "Call of Law" was featured on that album. When I formed my label, Big Boi helped us out. I put out an independent project and that caught Sean's (Combs) attention. He had written me on my Myspace page and I didn't write back because I didn't know what's going on. I was like, "Who's this?" Because you never know on Myspace. (laughs) Then Big Boi called me and said that he really wanted to work with us. I said, "Okay, if he's serious he should come to my show." I talked to (Sean Combs) on the phone and he was excited. He said he had never seen anything like this before and he wanted to support us. He was very impressed with us and understood our brand. He didn't want his brand to trump what we were doing. He just felt that what we did was a gift to the music industry. He didn't want to interfere creatively.

DR: That is very humble of him.

JM: Very - because he's so busy. For him, just to give something like this is a big deal. I hope to work with a lot of people. My circle is not limited. I am not afraid to speak with the Sean Combs' who are more business minded or to collaborate with people who are like Outkast. I think it's about bridging that gap. For me, it's about breaking out of those boundaries. You never know who can give you a helping hand - especially in this industry. I am very comfortable with where I am, I'm not going to be sidetracked. I have a mission to accomplish and I won't compromise - and they respect that.

DR: Where did you find the inspiration for your unique sound?

JM: If you really think about it, it's taken a lifetime. There are certain events in my life that effect the way I see life. As a result of that, there are a lot choices I decided to make - lots of risks that I decided to take. From growing up in Kansas, being around people who were walking dead and didn't have a passion - I'm motivated to use my freedom - to maximize it - because there are people who fought for me.

DR: What do you think is the current state of music?

JM: I think the current state of music is evolving. There are a lot of remarkable artists who understand that it's up to us to utilize the platform we have to do good. I've been an independent artist for quite some time. I have a label called the Wonderland Arts Society. We are a "thrivers" - people who take the opportunity that our parents didn't have and take advantage of them. Even for us, we understand that it's our duty to use our art to influence and inspire - to really do good and help alter history and not talk too much, but lead by example. There are a lot of artists that are doing that and that's a good thing.

DR: Who are some of your favorite musicians, actors and artists?

JM: I love James Brown. There is no other performer like him today. I don't think there will be another performer like him. I really loved his humanitarian characteristics. He was a philanthropist. He cared about his community. For me, I have a core value that I strongly stick to - I have a responsibility to my community and other young girls. Artists have a huge influence and I understand that. I think about Kansas City and other young girls and other people who don't get this opportunity to say something to the whole world. I'm making sure I'm representing them and making them proud. James Brown is someone I always looked up to because he never got too detached from his community and his upbringing. He made sure he always stayed connected to the people.

DR: Who's idea was to take a suite approach with "Metropolis?" It's a great concept.

JM: Thank you so, so much! It was my idea as well as some of my fellow "thrivers" of the Wonderland Arts Society. Lots of music is being consumed and sometimes the consumers' attention span is rather short.

DR: Especially now.

JM: Yeah - we are in the "I" generation and people are taking three or four tunes on an album and that's it. So I decided to put the consumer on something like a musical diet. (laughs) I think that since I have a conceptual album, I wanted to make sure that the consumer was not getting lost. It's a lot of information and I wanted to feed it to them piece by piece to make sure they were following the story and that they are appreciating the music.  I don't want them to say, "This is too much for me to take in - I don't even want to listen to it anymore." I am giving you my three to four tunes that I think are essential and are potentially life changing.

DR: Yeah, usually when I buy a CD, I just know track by numbers.

JM: You are so right - I chose to tell the story backwards.

DR: That's interesting. What's your favorite song on the album?

JM: I like to hear what your favorite is. All of them, to me, are very helpful. If you're trying to get somewhere, details are very important. There are a lot of details in each song. Each suite will have its own world and life. It won't feel like the same suite. Hopefully, it's jammin' and people will feel the same energy - but I don't really have a favorite.

DR: So I hear that you are admirer of Broadway.

JM: I used to read a lot about it in high school. In Kansas City, we didn't have a diversified arts program. Culturally, we were not as diversified as I would've liked to be - but I still love my city. As a result of that, I liked anything in the arts that was intriguing or a form of escapism. I dealt with close members of my being addicted to drugs. As a result of that, things were stolen from us. Financially, we could've been better off. I wouldn't change anything because these events have shaped my life. From singing in the a capella choir to being a part of "Cinderella" and "The Wiz" in high school, the arts gave me hope. I felt that it gave me the opportunity to be free; to be around a diverse group of individuals who were thriving just like me. After high school, I wanted to leave Kansas immediately to go to New York.

DR: What did you do while you were there?

JM: I went to the America Musical and Dramatic Academy. I didn't finish that program. I left because I have found out that it was about type casting. There were certain roles that I would've loved to play, but the roles offered to short African American women were not as cool as some of the lead roles. I left. I said, "I could write my own musical - I'm young."

DR: A musical written by you would be pretty cool.

JM: We are actually working on a movie for "Metropolis" and a comic book. I'm excited about those things.

DR: Do you go to a lot of Broadway shows?

JM: You know, I haven't been in touch with Broadway lately. Some things I try not to get too influenced by. I try to do my take on what I think. I choose not to know about certain things because I want to have my own creative process.

DR: So you don't want things to have too much influence on you because you don't want to become copycat?

JM: Exactly. I'll pull off and say, "I got enough."

DR: Who would you really like to collaborate with?

JM: All the people I want to collaborate with are dead. When teleporting and time traveling become available, I can do my collaborations. Well, the machine is available; I just haven't used them yet. (laughs.) I would love to travel back and work with James Brown, Elvis, Judy Garland - and Katherine Hepburn! I love her! She was one of the first women - in regards to style - that broke a lot of barriers. She was the first women to wear a pair of pants on the red carpet. That's so sick! And a high-waisted pair of pants for me - I love them! She's very defiant. Judy Garland used to do her own makeup and I do my own hair and makeup. They were just so classic.

DR: When I first saw your style, it was so distinct and I called it "Hip-hop-a-billy." You have such a fresh perspective on your music and fashion sense. How would you describe your personal style?

JM: Actually, in terms of style, I am very aware of what I like - but I am more focused on my music and my message. I make sure that's on point. As crazy as it may sound, I can't tell you how many saddle Oxfords, plain white shirts and high-waisted pants I have in my closet. I am more conservative in that area than in my music. I would prefer the listener to pay more attention to what's coming out of my mouth - but that's in a perfect world and that won't happen. I said, "Well, since I have to show myself one day, I may as well figure out something." I keep a classic simple look. Black and white are my two favorite colors right now - but I might switch to something else.

DR: How do you keep yourself grounded?

JM: That's a great question. I have core values that I had written down when I said I wanted to be a part of the music industry. I wrote down things that meant the most to me. I can always look back, no matter where I am, to make sure I am staying on my message. That's what it is about - my responsibility to my community and young and older women.  I have a responsibility to creating quality music and trying to stay ahead. There is something that Maya Angelou says all the time: "People may not always remember what you have on or what you said, but they always remember how you make them feel." I am always trying to make people feel better. I am just making sure I remain an artist and not get caught up in the business side of it  -and I also always stay in touch with my family. I never want to be oblivious to what's going on with them.

DR: Because your sound is so conceptual and ambitious, when you make music, how do you make it less self-indulgent and more for the masses?

JM: I just have to know that it's not about me. At the end of the day, when I record a song, it's not mine anymore. It's mine when I was writing it. I know what my purpose is - it's not to be selfish and not to be arrogant. It is to give my art. My art is to be shared. I've been blessed to have a good gauge in my mind and to have a team of creative people around me to make sure we are balancing.

 

P.S. Did I mention that she also complimented what I was wearing? Well, she did. I just wanted to throw that in there.

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