I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that’s when I realized that I could actually go away. – Janelle Monae
I’m a believer that the more I’m giving, the happier I am, and the more beautiful my exterior will be. – Janelle Monae
I believe it’s time that women truly owned their superpowers and used their beauty and strength to change the world around them. – Janelle Monae
I’m inspired by the words: ‘electrifying’, ‘epic’, ‘minimalistic’, ‘transcendent’, ‘timeless’ and ‘rock n’ roll.’ – Janelle Monae
Some songs you get. Some songs you may not. And I think that’s the beauty of art: to question and to ask, to understand the deeper meaning after two or three or four listenings. – Janelle Monae
I always think about the next generation and creating a different blueprint for them. That’s my goal: to let them know there’s another way. – Janelle Monae
Children go with whatever makes them feel good – like if that’s the color green or orange, they do that with their clothes. As I’ve grown older, everything reversed. My music, my personality – onstage those things became my colors. – Janelle Monae
One of my core values is to help redefine what it means to be a strong and beautiful woman in the music and fashion worlds and to empower the wonderful things that make us unique. – Janelle Monae
I have a great body, I really do. But I want to be taken seriously as an artist, and wearing anything that shows it off will be a distraction from the music. That’s how my signature uniform, my tuxedo, came about. It’s classic and timeless. You’ll see me in black, white, and a pop of color on my lips. That pop adds a little magic. – Janelle Monae
Once you find what you like, it’s like it worked yesterday, it works today, it’ll work tomorrow. – Janelle Monae
It’s unfortunate that a lot of people think African-American female artists are monolithically R&B this-or-that, don’t have to do anything by default. – Janelle Monae
I have not lost any of my crazy, fearless, raw, soulful, eclectic side and I plan on continuing to tell universal stories in an unforgettable way. – Janelle Monae
Honestly, I don’t believe in menswear. I focus on what pieces are most timeless, transcendent, match my lifestyle, remain remarkable, and command intriguing attention across the room at an art gallery. – Janelle Monae
I always carry my classic black-and-white tux and custom-made George Esquivel saddle shoes. – Janelle Monae
I listen to Prince on my iPad. And I use a Chords & Scales app to warm up before performing. – Janelle Monae
You are only as beautiful as the many beautiful things you do for others without expectation. – Janelle Monae
When I got into the music industry, I wasn’t focused on being the most famous artist or even getting a major record deal. It was just to make music on my own terms or create my own image, do my own hair, do my own makeup. – Janelle Monae
I feel myself becoming the fearless person I have dreamt of being. Have I arrived? No. But I’m constantly evolving and challenging myself to be unafraid to make mistakes. – Janelle Monae
We don’t all have to take the same coordinates to get to the same destination. Being a young African American female artist, I want to open doors for young black girls. – Janelle Monae
