Janelle Monáe talks about Prince & her new album Electric Lady
Janelle Monáe sat down with Billboard to discuss working with Prince on her new album Electric Lady and a range of other topics, from science fiction to what defines the "new breed of woman." Still, of all subjects under the sun, Prince stands out. The Purple one has been a long time -and outspoken- fan of Monáe and that, like all things involving the 3rdeyegirl frontman, is not something to be taken lightly. For instance, Prince personally called producers over at BET when Ms. Monáe was not invited to perform at this year's annual award show and demanded she get a performance slot. The move proved his genius yet again - Monáe's performance along with Erykah Badu proved to be a highlight of the evening. With the official release of Electric Lady just hours away, listeners are anxious to hear how much of a footprint Prince has made on the album. Get a tidbit about "Givin 'Em What They Love"--the track Prince collaborated on--in the quote below, get the full interview at Billboard and pre-order The Electric Lady via iTunes before it drops tomorrow.
"The Electric Lady," which comes out Sept. 10, features collaborations with Prince, Erykah Badu, Solange Knowles, Miguel and Esperanza Spalding."Musically I wanted to create an album that was rooted in R&B but make sure I was capturing the diversity in R&B music," she explained. "I was inspired by Bo Diddley, who inspired the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis (Presley). This was the leader, the pioneer of R&B. (The track) 'Dance Apocalyptic' was very much a response to being inspired by him."
Having Prince on "Givin' 'Em What They Love," meanwhile, "was an honor. He's been so excited about my career, and I don't take that for granted. He's a mentor to me -- he does take the time to mentor other artists, not just myself. So he took me on tour with him. It was very organic for us to work together, but I know he does not collaborate with everybody that he performs with, and I don't take that for granted. And I got the opportunity to produce him, so to present the ideas and see it through, I was just honored that he trusted me."
spotted at BB
