Janelle Monae is probably the most dynamic young R&B artist out there today, and it's not just because she likes dressing like a cyborg and has a Titanic-sized bouffant. Okay, that may be part of the reason.
See, Janelle is utterly fascinated with the 1927 sci-fi thriller Metropolis, the Fritz Lang film about a dystopian future in which the rich get richer and the poor get to toil underground until the day they die. Fun stuff. Her album, also called Metropolis, has a futuristic sound, but is not nearly as depressing as the movie. Her music is a spacey, deeply-layered ambient mix of electro pop and smooth R&B. You just have to hear it to believe it, because there's a pretty good chance you've never heard anything like it before.
Janelle escaped her small-town life in Kansas City, Kansas to pursue musical theater at the American Musical Academy in New York City. Feeling that there simply weren't enough dynamic roles for black women in theater, she relocated to Atlanta where she began performing at the Atlanta University Center. It was there that she recorded her first solo project, The Audition. She went on to record the cult favorite hit, "Lettin' Go" which appeared on the Purple Ribbon All-Star's Compilation, Got Purp? Vol. 2 in 2005. Later on she was featured on the Idlewild soundtrack, and appeared in the video for "Morris Brown" with Big Boi and Scar.
In August of 2007, she released the first "Suite" of her album Metropolis. Her first single from the album, "Violet Stars Happy Hunting," is already an Internet hit. Because her album is being released in four separate parts, aka "Suites," fans always have something to look forward to. And, of course, download.
In our exclusive video interview with Janelle, we got to the bottom of her unique album concept, plans for the future and how exactly she gets her hair to stay that way. Trust us, you'll want to hear this one!
See, Janelle is utterly fascinated with the 1927 sci-fi thriller Metropolis, the Fritz Lang film about a dystopian future in which the rich get richer and the poor get to toil underground until the day they die. Fun stuff. Her album, also called Metropolis, has a futuristic sound, but is not nearly as depressing as the movie. Her music is a spacey, deeply-layered ambient mix of electro pop and smooth R&B. You just have to hear it to believe it, because there's a pretty good chance you've never heard anything like it before.
Janelle escaped her small-town life in Kansas City, Kansas to pursue musical theater at the American Musical Academy in New York City. Feeling that there simply weren't enough dynamic roles for black women in theater, she relocated to Atlanta where she began performing at the Atlanta University Center. It was there that she recorded her first solo project, The Audition. She went on to record the cult favorite hit, "Lettin' Go" which appeared on the Purple Ribbon All-Star's Compilation, Got Purp? Vol. 2 in 2005. Later on she was featured on the Idlewild soundtrack, and appeared in the video for "Morris Brown" with Big Boi and Scar. In August of 2007, she released the first "Suite" of her album Metropolis. Her first single from the album, "Violet Stars Happy Hunting," is already an Internet hit. Because her album is being released in four separate parts, aka "Suites," fans always have something to look forward to. And, of course, download.
In our exclusive video interview with Janelle, we got to the bottom of her unique album concept, plans for the future and how exactly she gets her hair to stay that way. Trust us, you'll want to hear this one!
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