Janelle Monae Talks about Freedom, How New Album Defines Her and Getting Ready to Tour Again

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr.

AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) –– If you believe Janelle Monae 's hyper-sexual expression is a front, think again.

These days, Monae is unapologetically living her truth in a bold manner while trying to avoid negativity. The star, once known for sporting custom-made suits, has shed that attire (at least for now) to nearly bare all, like on the cover of her latest studio album, "The Age of Pleasure," where she's seen swimming topless in a pool. It's her first release since 2018's "Dirty Computer," which was nominated for album of the year at the Grammys.

In recent months, Monae hasn`t been afraid of risque looks and nudity. She revealed herself during an event celebrating the release of her single "Lipstick Lover" and again onstage at an Essence Music Festival set __ which drew some social media criticism including from singer India Arie and rapper Uncle Luke. She also attended the 2023 Met Gala in a barely-there outfit.

For Monae, this is her time to be free.

Monae spoke recently with The Associated Press about her supportive mother, side- stepping criticism and teasing her upcoming North American tour, which kicks off Aug. 30 in Seattle. Other tour stops include New York and Nashville and she`ll wrap in Los Angeles in mid-October.

AP: Since you haven't toured since 2019, was your recent Essence Festival performance a tune up for your upcoming tour?

MONAE: Yeah, we're testing out the songs. You're getting them in your body. Right now, we don't have a lot of muscle memory with the new songs. We haven't toured them. I know if you come into the show, you`ll love the songs. But hearing them live is a different experience, especially when you're putting them with songs from previous work. We're basically just putting a show together based on what we feel is good. Sometimes you just don't know until you get on stage.

AP: What do you want people to take away from your show?

MONAE: Tap into your free (expletive) energy. That's rooted in self-love __ not arrogance. Tap into that space and then take care of each other. That's what I hope. With the shows that I do, and when I look out, it's an experience. It's like our own church. You want to take care of each other.

Even if your freedom doesn't look like that person's freedom, you understand that we're fighting against something much bigger than us. We're systemically fighting against something much bigger than us, so we got to band together, we got to stick together. We have to make sure that we're showing up for each other. If we have privilege in certain areas, making sure that we're lending a hand, lending a voice, amplifying a message.

AP: How has it been to walk in your truth while facing criticism about your racy performances from people like Arie and Uncle Luke?

MONAE: That has absolutely nothing to do with me. I love everybody. I'm in the age of pleasure.

AP: When did you feel comfortable with living life the way you want without caring about others' opinions?

The 43-year-old actress and comedian revealed she recently experienced her eighth miscarriage.