Why Janelle Monae Will Rock your World

She has three albums and six Grammy nominations under herbel , and is currently at work on her third solo album. She counts Prince , Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu and Michelle Obama among her mentors But there are many more reasons why we love Janelle– and why you will too…

- Kevin Sessums

In the dwindling light on the patio of the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Janelle Monáe is still glowing over the surprise Screen Actors Guild Award win for best ensemble for Hidden Figures the previous night (she was a double nominee, as she was also recognised as part of the cast of Moonlight, which would go on to win Best Picture at the Oscars). ‘I hope that my gratitude exudes from me when you see me in both those films,’ says Janelle, clad in a T-shirt emblazoned with the words ‘freedom over fear’.

There is a hard-earned earnestness about the 31-year-old Kansas City native who worked as a maid after high school, so she could afford tuition at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. ‘I am so honoured to be a part of two culturally important films,’ she continues. ‘They give voice to “the other”, an individual that is often erased by society for being different. There are a lot of us who have had a moment when we felt discriminated against or marginalised because of our gender, sexual orientation, race or class. It is our responsibility as artists to give a voice to the voiceless.’