Billboard magazine’s 2013 Rising Star Janelle Monáe capped off the year headlining the 25th annual Peach Drop in Atlanta for New Year’s. While there, she had a chance to talk with The Hollywood Reporter about the cancellation of “The Electric Lady” tour, how often she writes new music and the challenges she faces when writing an album based on a concept. She also talked about working with music icon Prince.
On tour cancellations due to vocal rest and why it was a blessing, not a curse…
Oh, a blessing. I was overdoing it. I was warming up my voice for, like, two hours and then I had two-hour press, and then I had a two-hour show. And I was doing that for, like, five days out of a week for two weeks straight. Don’t ask me why I did it. I knew that I needed the rest. I knew that I needed to cut down warming up that long, and I needed to just take off for a couple of days. So I postponed the shows and will make them up in January.
On writing new music…
I write something. I will say, seven days out of a week, I’m at least writing something down five or six days a week. Whether it’s a song title, whether it’s something that I said that was funny in conversation, or someone said something to me that was meaningful. But yeah, I find myself having lots of things to write about, and it helps with my next material.
On challenges faced when writing albums with concepts…
We’ll say that with “The Electric Lady,” I was inspired by my painting. I was inspired by painting every night. I did this tour, like, three months straight, and did so many paintings at home, and my friends and family, they encouraged me to name the series of paintings. And I tried to come up with a name and had a really hard time figuring out what that name was. I just listened to the energy, I listened to the visual reaction that I got from each painting. And “The Electric Lady,” those words came to my spirit, and I started to think of a world where there were more electric ladies. … I started to just write songs, and I started to put together horn arrangements, string arrangements, to just get out all the complexities of women.
On performing with Prince, calling him a genius…
Well, he’s on my album, “The Electric Lady,” and I had the wonderful opportunity of producing him. So I got a chance to call the shots for that particular collaboration (“Givin Em’ What They Love”). And I’m just so thankful. He’s a genius in my eyes, and one of my musical heroes. He let me really trust my instincts and let me guide him. It was an unbelievable experience. I’m still pinching myself.
Full interview here
In addition to the interview excerpts, watch the Prince and Janelle perform “Give Em’ What They Love” together in Connecticut.
