Future Black History Month: Janelle Monáe's Iconoclastic Takeover
This year, we’re celebrating an extended Black History Month by highlighting a variety of rising artists who are creating history before our very eyes. Whether or not you were 100 percent aware of how much so, Janelle Monáe's already made incredible strides as a pop-culture figure despite being one of its most iconoclastic figures.
Since the release of her debut full-length The ArchAndroid—which is probably the closest thing we have to a modern-day Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band—Monáe racks up accolades in an industry that knows how important she is whether or not she has mainstream recognition. Without any mega-hit solo singles, she's still a GRAMMY Award winner and performer, endorses CoverGirl and Pepsi, and just this past weekend introduced the Super Bowl halftime show. With major fashion houses clawing for her, her distinct tuxedo-and-pompadour look have made her a style icon. Despite declaring herself only in love with "androids," she's a symbol for LGBTQ people.
Janelle represents the unconventional outsider on so many levels and recognizes her spot: In 2013, she told Fuse her "Q.U.E.E.N." single was made "for people who feel like they want to give up because they're not accepted by society."
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