Janelle Monáe’s current single “Lipstick Lover” has moved to the No. 9 spot on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart this week.
It’s her second song to reach the top 10 on this chart, with her previous hit “I Like That” leading the chart for three weeks in 2018. That song was featured on her acclaimed album Dirty Computer.
“Lipstick Lover,” from Monáe’s latest album, The Age of Pleasure, has been gaining popularity on R&B radio and has climbed to No. 11 this week.
Elsewhere, “Lipstick Lover” rises to No. 28 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. When it was first released, the song, produced by Nate “Rocket” Wonder, entered and reached its highest position at No. 19 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart.
“Lipstick Lover” is the second song shared ahead of Monáe’s The Age of Pleasure. It was released as part of the album announcement with a music video that she co-directed with Alan Ferguson.
Monáe first drew attention to her first album in five years with the lead single “Float,” which features the Nigerian collective Sean Kuti and Egypt 80. Although it did not have an official video, there is a dance edit visual that showcases dancers in various high-energy scenes.
The Age of Pleasure was released June 9 via Wonderland Arts Society/Atlantic Records. Across 14 tracks, Monáe enlists names such as Grace Jones, Nia Long, Doechii, Amaarae and more.
“When I was writing The Age of Pleasure, I wrote it with friends for friends. This is for us. What I would do is if I knew we were having a party on that Friday or Saturday, on Monday and Tuesday, I’d be like, ‘All right. We’re going to write three songs. If the songs can’t work at the party, they’re not going on the album,’” Monáe explained to Zane Lowe of Apple Music.
She added, “I have my friend, who is my DJ, DJ Nana Kwabena, he worked on some of the songs on the project with me, and I was like, ‘Just play it, put it after this song, we’ll put it in the setlist.’ That’s how we made the album.”
The Age of Pleasure is available in several colored vinyl options, as well as CD and different packages that include exclusive apparel.
Monáe will kick off her headlining The Age of Pleasure Tour on Aug. 30 at the WAMU Theater in Seattle, Washington. The tour will end on Oct. 18 at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California. To purchase tickets, visit jmonae.com.
Prior to the tour, Monáe is also scheduled to perform at the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in August.
Listen to Janelle Monáe’s new song “Lipstick Lover” below.
