Janelle Monae is an inimitable, award-winning, songwriter, performer, producer, CoverGirl and avant-garde funkstress. The Kansas City native created waves with her latest release, The Electric Lady. The album represents for Monae an opportunity to honor the strong women who lead, nurture and provide for the community.
According to Monáe, “I went back to Kansas City after my tour for my debut album The ArchAndroid. And when I looked around me, I decided I wanted to make a raw, revealing album all about my life and the things I’d experienced in my community— about the laughter in the parks, the jams bumping in the cars, the jokes told over kitchen tables, all the life and warmth and struggles I felt there. But I also wanted to figure out how to take Kansas City to the future…like a surreal Parliament album with lyrics by Octavia Butler and album art by Salvador Dali.”
As time passed, Monáe found herself increasingly drawn to the stories and experiences of the strong women in her life, and their ability to electrify and inspire individuals to do the right thing. “At some point I realized that the true heart and glue of the community were the women. My mama and grandmamma and my aunties and who to this day, are some of the most powerful beings on the planet. Under their guidance, I went from cleaning houses everyday in my maid outfit to the world-traveling performer I am today. They made me believe in myself enough to move from Kansas and pursue my dreams. A lot of folks think I work hard onstage because of James Brown. But they’ve never met my mother!”
Get your tickets for Women’s Empowerment today!
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Janelle Monae Set To Appear At Women’s Empowerment 2014 was originally published on foxync.com
