Janelle Monae Exclusive Interview W/ CHAMP Mag on “Archandroid”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Janelle Monae Exclusive Interview W/ CHAMP Mag on “Archandroid”
CHAMP Magazine
DJ Laz Vagez
Photography: Jon Ferguson

 

 

CHAMP: Let’s focus on the title for a bit. What is Janelle Monae’s definition of an “Archandroid”?

 

Janelle Monae: Well an “Archandroid”…I think about the “android” as the other. I felt like the other at often times and I feel that everyone at one point and time in their life has probably experienced that, so that’s why I speak about the “android”, because the “Archandroid” is very special, the “Archandroid” is the mediator between the have’s and the have-nots, and the minorities and the majorities. The “Archandroid” is very similar to Neo from the Matrix or the archangel from the Bible, so I wanted just to have us all wrap our minds around what that means to bring together two different classes, two different worlds, and just having someone there and I feel that this music is a representation of just that. I’ve always been about uniting and not catering to music to a red state or blue state, but creating a purple state. Bringing those states together and uniting of the music, and always letting love, which is a universal language to help us all to connect as well. The “Archandroid” is a huge concept and can definitely save us all, and I think there’s an Archandroid in us all.

 

CHAMP: Definitely. There’s an “Archandroid” in me. Now the artwork I mean I peeped it. It’s crazy and it’s powerful at the same time. Was that the vision you had for the album or did you collab with others to come up with that vision?

 

Janelle Monae: I’ve been working with the same two wonderful guys Nate “Rocket” Wonder and Chuck Lightning of The Wondaland Productions. I have my own recording label the Wondaland Arts Society. We all come up with everything together we have graphic novelist, screenwriters, visual artists, performance artists, just artists we wanna help preserve as a team we wanna empower the individual and we felt like this story and the music just represents transformation. We like to think of the music and very transformative, and if you listen to it from the beginning to the end, it will change you. Also, we like to think of the album as an emotion picture for the mind, because evokes emotion I don’t think we’ve been in touch with for a long time.

 

CHAMP: No doubt, that’s a crazy explanation man. You guys actually put a lot of thought behind the visuals of the album. A lot of artists don’t usually do that you know?

 

Janelle Monae: Thank you

 

CHAMP: “Tightrope” of course it the single off the album and we got you causing some chaos in school in the video. It definitely got a swing feel to it and we wanted to know how’d you hook up with Big Boi for that joint?

 

Janelle Monae: Big Boi was the first guy to really help expose me to a bigger audience here in Atlanta, GA where I met him and he had really loved and respected what Wondaland was doing as a team, and our message in the music we were creating here, so he invited us on the “Idlewild” album and the Big Boi Presents “Got Purp?” with “Lettin’ Go” and “Call the Law” on Idlewild. I got really exposed to their audience, and I’m forever grateful for that. We formed a relationship, we’re good friends, and we’re like family. When I approached him about “TightRope” he was like of course, because tightrope is like a balance. As artists, we both understand there’s so many highs and lows and we can’t get too high and we just can’t get too low. Whether it’s over accolades and praises or opinions or critics and we just really wrote this song for the people just to empower them and help them to fight against oppression and the oppressor.

 

CHAMP: And that song actually also has a dance vibe to it. Was that your intention to come up with a first single to have the people dance their tail to?

 

Janelle Monae: Absolutely. I want people to dance to “Tightrope”. I created that dance to empower them, be therapeutic, to me dancing is very therapeutic and I want everybody to bond when they dance. When James Brown came out with certain dances; I want people to wanna do the tightrope like they wanna moon walk.

 

CHAMP: You had Wondaland on some of the production; you have Big Boi as an artist. Who else do we have featured on this album artis-twise and production-wise?

 

Janelle Monae: Kevin Barnes from one of my favorite bands of Montreal. We worked on “Make the Bus” together. We’re also gonna be on tour together this September. We have Saul Williams, who’s an extraordinarily gifted poet and is a friend of mine, and he’s on “Dance or Die”, and we have Deep Cotton who’s on my recording label Wondaland Society, and they’ll be debuting very soon. I also worked with the Wondaland Arts Orchestra for the string arrangements. That was really fun.

 

CHAMP: How was that? Was it different than just going in the booth and singing?

 

Janelle Monae: Yeah, we recorded in Wondaland so it was pretty tight in here. Violins, Violas, Oboes, we had so many instrumentalist here and it was just very electrifying experience

 

CHAMP: Now the people over here at CHAMP was upset to not see you in The Maxim 100 Females this year and one thing about you is that you’re able to keep your integrity as an artist and image-wise you don’t get stuck in a box “the norm”. What do you say when people say “she has to show more skin” or wants your swag to be just like every other girl in the industry?

 

Janelle Monae: Well were not all models. All women are not the same just because we’re women we don’t have to wear heels and dresses, even though I own heels and dresses and I do show my skin. I just pick and choose where it is. I love redefining being a mystery woman, how a woman can wear her hair, how a women can dress, how I woman can create music. My idea of being confident differs from most and that’s fine. I’m not knocking anyone for how they conduct their images and what not. I love the tuxedo,  I’m paying homage to the working class, and that’s what I’m about but at the same time I will never feel as though I’m less feminine or whatever the whole androgynous thing. Men were wearing tunics before and there was a point where women were wearing trousers. I don’t believe it. I’m attracted to it, I find confidence in it. Confidence comes from the women themselves and the femininity and the fearlessness comes from a woman and not defined by my clothes.

 

CHAMP: A lot of people may not know this, but you’re actually signed with Bad Boy correct?

 

Janelle Monae: There’s a partnership. I have my own recording label the Wondaland Arts Society. Sean Combs approached us when we were releasing an independent project Metropolis, and we partnered because he really believed in our message and creatively he didn’t want to be involved in anything. He just wanted to expose what we’re doing to the main land.

 

CHAMP: So he wasn’t really vocal or hands on about your project at all it was actually like all you?

 

Janelle Monae: Absolutely. We’re the creative drivers behind it. He loves the project and our ideas and he’s into big ideas and he’s just supportive of our project and The Wondaland Society, and Janelle Monae.

 

CHAMP: Right now you’re on tour. Actually on are you on tour right now with Erykah Badu?

 

Janelle Monae: It’s coming up

 

CHAMP: Have you been on tour with her before?

 

Janelle Monae: Yeah I’ve been on a few tour dates with her. We’re good friends and we both support each others art and music.

 

CHAMP: She has a video “Window Seat”. What are your thoughts and views on that video right there?

 

Janelle Monae: I support Erykah Badu, I support the artists right of expression and performance art. I got what she was doing. I see myself naked everyday so it wasn’t such a shock to see a naked body but I definitely think she represents for the individual just like I do and she was very brave.

 

CHAMP: Janelle Monae! Your album is out now for the people to copp. Now what else can we expect from you in the future?

 

Janelle Monae: I’m shooting a visual for every song on the album and we’re creating a movie. I have a graphic novel coming out as well and we’re gonna tour with Montreal, and the Lilith Fair tour with some extraordinarily gifted artist who just happen to be women and I’m on tour with Erykah Badu, and I’m excited about my future. I don’t know what it holds.

Pick up: Archandroid – Janelle Monae