Janelle Monae shines on the May 2013 cover of Essence Magazine. On the cover, Monae is dressed in a cream colored Yves Saint Laurent blouse with a pair of Chanel earrings. In her interview, Monae covers a variety of topics including why she chooses to wear suits, her definition of beauty, her favorite new artists, and more.
Read a few excerpts from Monae’s interview with Essence Magazine below:
On her personal style: “People don’t ask Jay-Z to take his shirt off when he rhymes,” she says defiantly. Her refusal to let it all hang out is a major part of her attempt to redefine what it means to be sexy and what it means to be a woman. “Showing my skin is not what makes me sexy. I like skirts and dresses just like everyone else, but I had a message I needed to put out there. It was up to me to show people and young girls there was another way.”
On why she wears suits: “I enjoy the tuxedo and I enjoy suits. They are timeless and transcendent 18th century, 19th century, 20th century all the way to 2719. I think the tuxedo will outlive us.”
On her definition of beauty: “I love givers and when I find out someone is giving somebody else something from the heart… I think people who give their time are some of the most beautiful people that I know.”
On her favorite new artists: “I love Miguel, Frank Ocean, I’m just excited about new artist bringing forward their ideas and continuing on the legacies of some of the greats, the icons, that we were inspired by, that our music was inspired by. Just sharing their voice unfiltered being unafraid to embrace those things and make them unique, remain innovative. I love people who are into big ideas and whatnot. So I am really excited about some of the new artists.”
