Janelle Monáe's futuristic pop art persona - think The Wizard of Oz re-imagined by Fritz Lang - masks a story of hard-won achievement. Born Janelle Robinson 25 years ago and raised in Kansas City, she grew up in a household plagued by drug addiction, and took refuge in talent shows.
The Wizard of Oz re-imagined by Fritz Lang - masks a story of hard-won achievement. Born Janelle Robinson 25 years ago and raised in Kansas City, she grew up in a household plagued by drug addiction, and took refuge in talent shows.
Remaking herself as Janelle Monáe, a homage to Claude Monet's son, Jean, no less, she earned a Grammy nomination for the doo-wop hip-hop of Many Moons, from her 2007 debut EP, Metropolis. That EP and the stunning forthcoming album of the same name tell the story of "Cindi Mayweather", an android facing execution for falling in love with a human. It's psychedelic soul with a sci-fi twist. "It's about learning from the past," says Monáe, "but listening to the future, saving the next generation and helping to alter history."
