Janelle Monaé claims that her sensual and hedonistic new album is a rebuttal to conservatives who seek to repress manifestations of black and queer pleasure.
The record was released amid a flurry of legislation in the United States that targets LGBTQ rights and prohibits the teaching of African American history.
Monaé, who identifies as non-binary, told, “They want us not to enjoy life, they want us to be miserable and feel like we don’t belong.”
We must combat this in every way possible.
The 37-year-old claims that her most recent album, The Age Of Pleasure, is merely one method to combat anti-LGBTQ sentiment.
“With this project, I’m making it clear that even amid these difficult times. we will celebrate ourselves, create a safe space for ourselves, and take pleasure in this life.”
Her nonprofit, Fem The Future, grants music, arts, and education grants to poor women and non-binary kids.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, a record number of anti-LGBTQ measures have been introduced in state legislatures across the United States since the beginning of the year.
Education and restricting transgender youth’s access to gender-affirming health care have been prioritised.
There are a total of 283 proposed bills that target schools, including bills that seek to limit discussions about sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom and “forced outing” bills that would require teachers to notify parents when a student begins using a different name or pronouns, even without the student’s consent.
Several states have also introduced legislation to prohibit drag performances.
Monaé began publishing music in 2003, establishing herself as one of America’s most progressive, genre-bending soul and pop musicians.
She has been nominated for eight Grammys for successes such as Make Me Feel, Tightrope, and Q.U.E.E.N., while also establishing a parallel career on the big screen with roles in the award-winning dramas Hidden Figures and Moonlight, and the murder-mystery Glass Onion, in which she co-starred with Daniel Craig last year.
Her first album since 2018’s Dirty Computer is The Age Of Pleasure.
She also told Matt Everitt, “That was extremely terrifying.” “To be faced with [everything] that entails that. The pressures of continually discussing it.”
She continued, “Understanding that I am now non-binary has liberated me.”
“It makes music and art better, and it makes you feel more fluid and liberated.”
As a result, her new album focuses almost exclusively on sensual sensations.
Monaé even appears bare-chested in the music video for Lipstick Lover, which was inspired by a real-life relationship.
“I wound up with red lip gloss and lipstick on my neck. I went to the loo, saw it, and thought it was pretty hot, you know?”
“And I thought, ‘Yep, this deserves a song’.” “As easy as that”
The album took shape over the past few years at events she hosted at her Los Angeles campus, “Wonderland West.”
Rolling Stone magazine described the property’s courtyard as “magnificent, with its tranquil pool in the center and troves of nooks, outdoor baths, and citrus trees.”
During the pandemic, Monaé allowed the organizers of Everyday People, a global event that celebrates Black and African culture, to host gatherings on her property, subject to rigorous Covid-testing regulations.
Monaé stated that her new music reflects those bacchanalian nights in which people were free to be themselves “free from police, free from judgment.”
“I did my best to capture the beauty I witnessed, and The Age Of Pleasure is the result,” she said.
The gatherings continued after the lockdown restrictions were lifted, serving as a testing ground for Monaé’s content.
“If I knew we had a party on Friday or Saturday. We would write the songs on Monday or Tuesday,” she explained.
“I instructed my DJ to play the tracks. Don’t say it’s me, and let’s observe how individuals react to them.’
“And when I saw people on the dancefloor Shazaming them, I thought, ‘This is over. This will be on the album.'”
The musician has defined the album as a love letter to the African diaspora, with smooth transitions between R&B, hip-hop, Afrobeat, Amapiano, funk, and reggae grooves.
This week’s release has already garnered favorable reviews.
Charles Lyons-Burrit of Slate magazine wrote, “Janelle Monáe sounds more self-assured and assured than ever.” Her unapologetic embrace of queer pleasure is unquestionably sincere, audacious, and subversive.
Joe Muggs added on The Arts Desk, “It is the nonstop sauce.” Even an enumeration of swimming strokes is so charged that it will cause your ears to steam up.
It may cause you to blush, but it is her finest album and a remarkable transformation.
The Line Of Best Fit’s Sam Franzini was less effusive, stating that the album was “thin on ideas” and did not do justice to Monaé’s “genius.” According to Evening Standard’s David Smith, The Age Of Pleasure’s “sweltering style” will become “the sound of summer.”
Monaé, whose previous albums were complex and multidimensional, only wanted to “have fun” with The Art Of Pleasure.
“I feel as though I own all of myself, am not explaining everything, and am simply savoring it.
“I feel significantly lighter now. And I levitate.”
