Janelle Monaé is known for making a statement, and their new album is no different.
In an interview with the BBC, Monaé (who uses they/she pronouns) stated her sensuous, hedonistic new album was a middle finger to conservatives who are trying to stifle Black queer pleasure and joy.
“They want us to not enjoy life, they want us to be miserable, to feel like we don’t belong,” Monaé said. “We have to fight this every way.”
The album, titled, The Age of Pleasure, is an active resistance to the influx of political attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.
“With this project, I am making it very known that, even in the midst of these heavy times, we’re going to celebrate ourselves, we’re going to create a safe space for ourselves and we’re going to enjoy this life,” they said.
Monaé is not just talking the talk; she started a charity called Fem The Future, which provides grants to under-resourced girls and non-binary youth in music, arts, and education.
The Age of Pleasure comes years after the release of Dirty Computer in 2018, which featured the WLW anthem ‘Pynk.’ Dirty Computer was the first musical project where Monaé truly embraced their sexuality and gender identity.
“That was super nerve-wracking,” she said. “To have to deal with [everything] that comes with that. The pressures of constantly talking about it.”
“Understanding that I’m now non-binary freed me up,” they continued. “It makes the music better, it makes the art better, it makes you feel more fluid, more free.”
The first single from her new album ,”Lipstick Lover,” has already become an iconic song about the beauty of lesbian sex, and the music video will steam up your computer screen. Monaé admitted that this song is based on a real-life encounter.
“I ended up with lipstick on my neck, red lip gloss on my neck. I went to the bathroom and saw it and just thought it was sexy, you know? And I was like, ‘Yep, this deserves a song’. As simple as that.”
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