Janelle Monáe

About

Also known as: Janelle Monáe Robinson

Few artists blur genre lines as confidently as Janelle Monáe. Rooted in funk, soul and R&B but pulling freely from synth pop, hip hop and even Broadway, she built her catalogue around a sprawling sci fi concept involving an android alter ego named Cindy Mayweather, introduced on her 2007 EP Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase) and developed across The ArchAndroid and The Electric Lady. Collaborators along the way have included Erykah Badu, Miguel and Prince. Her third album Dirty Computer (2018) is probably her most celebrated work, landing on best of year lists across the board and earning an Album of the Year Grammy nomination. She kept that momentum going with The Age of Pleasure (2023), which scored her a second Album of the Year nod at the Grammys. On top of the music, she has carved out a serious acting career, with notable roles in Moonlight, Hidden Figures and Glass Onion proving she is just as compelling on screen as she is on stage.