Janelle Monáe has unveiled the official video for her song “Water Slide,” which she co-directed with Alan Ferguson (Beyoncé, John Legend, Katy Perry).
The pool party-themed video is filled with a dynamic group of melanated people being their unapologetic selves as they soak up the sun and move to the rhythm of the Patra-sampled bop. It features cameos from Angelica Ross, JELEEL! and Jillian Mercado.
“Biiiig shoutout to 2 of my favorite Jamaican artists LEGENDS @therealpatra @sisternancy! It was an honor to have your presence a part of the album and song,” Monáe wrote in an Instagram caption. “Special thank you to guest stars and friends: @AngelicaRoss, @JillianMercado, @jeleeeel, and more for sliding with us!”
“Water Slide” is lifted from Monáe’s latest album, The Age of Pleasure, which arrived in June. It debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart with 19,000 equivalent units sold.
The Age of Pleasure includes the singles “Float” featuring Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 and “Lipstick Lover.”
The latter tune reached the top 10 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart. It peaked at No. 7 during the week of July 8.
In an interview with Zane Lowe of Apple Music, Monáe shared the album’s backstory. “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.
She continued, “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.”
On Aug. 26, Monáe will launch The Age of Pleasure Tour in Seattle, Washington, at WAMU Theater.
She will make stops in Chicago, Toronto, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Atlanta, before concluding Oct. 18 at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California.
Watch Janelle Monáe’s “Water Slide” video below.
