Janelle Monáe
“Tightrope”
Hailing from Kansas, Monáe is one of the best modern blues-pop-rap-R&B (is that even a genre?) artists out there. Her music is entirely her own, and you can tell she is one of those people who enjoys a huge array of music and brings it all together into her own style.
Monáe is not only unique as a musician, but she also has an incredible aesthetic, frequently releasing pretty strange music videos which could only work for her. Perhaps the only constant in her varied and unique style is her tuxedo. Regarding her tuxedo, she told Honey Magazine, “I bathe in it, I swim in it, and I could be buried in it. A tux is such a standard uniform, it’s so classy and it’s a lifestyle I enjoy. The tux keeps me balanced. I look at myself as a canvas. I don’t want to cloud myself with too many colors or I’ll go crazy. It’s an experiment I’m doing. I think I want to be in the Guinness Book of World Records.”
This choice of a tuxedo isn’t so much of a menswear preference, but a movement to redefine womanhood by encouraging women to be an individual and question what womanhood means. This is a good message for anyone, and it applies just as well to men–moisturize, son.
Despite winning many prestigious awards, Monáe’s career is just getting started. She has many years ahead of her, and I will definitely keep an eye on her future work–as should you.
