When Janelle Monáe first came on the scene, not long in to the 21st century, she was clearly a unique presence with her music and image. Her offbeat sound was a blend of funk, glam rock and sci-fi electronica while her look of wearing a baby tuxedo and pompadour blurred the gender lines. She was literally and figuratively out-of-this-world which made her a very welcome visionary in the somber world of pop music. While some admired and appreciated Monáe's bold musical statement, she never received the proper attention by a mass audience that she truly deserved.
After deciding to expand herself creatively by turning to acting, Monáe found herself in two of the biggest films of 2016; she had a co-starring role in "Hidden Figures", a film about the African-American women that worked for NASA and helped get the first American in space, that became one of the major box-office hits of the year and had a supporting part in "Moonlight" which went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
All of this film work had put her music career on hold but now the singer is finally back with some new material. Monáe has her third album, "Dirty Computer" due out in April and has dropped a preview of two new songs. "Make Me Feel", co-written by Monáe with pop hit-makers, Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter, has a funky beat that is decidedly Prince inspired and it is rumored that the late Purple One was involved with some of the production on this album. I really love this track and I think this will be the long overdue pop hit for Monáe. The music video for the song features a blonde and unexpectedly sexy Monáe (along with a cameo by actress, Tessa Thompson who is currently seen in "Black Panther") and plays with her rumored sexual identity which neither confirms nor denies her attraction to both genders.
The other song, "Django Jane" has a completely different vibe with Monáe rapping about her previous success, female empowerment and letting the world know that she has arrived. This is powerful and clever track and I can't wait to hear more. I hope you'all are ready to be dominated by Janelle Monáe this year because I know I am.
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