Janelle Monae Says "Q.U.E.E.N." Is for the "Ostracized & Marginalized"
Atlanta R&B whiz Janelle Monae scored her highest-charting album yet with The Electric Lady, which debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 this week. The album was led by the funky single "Q.U.E.E.N.," a title that stands for much more than just a powerful female.
"'Q.U.E.E.N.' definitely is an acronym," Monae explains during an interview at Fuse HQ. "It's for those who are marginalized." She says the "Q" represents the queer community, the "U" for the untouchables, the "E" for emigrants, the second "E" for the excommunicated and the "N" for those labeled as negroid.
"It's for everyone who's felt ostracized," she adds. "I wanted to create something for people who feel like they want to give up because they're not accepted by society."
While the 27-year-old closes the soul track with a fiery rap section ("March to the streets / Cause I'm willing and I'm able / Categorize me / I defy every label!"), Monae says she's hesitant to call herself a rapper. Or even a singer for that matter.
"I just like to communicate," she says. "If the lyrics call for something more urgent, which that rap did, then I'll take that route. I wanted to make sure, just in case, if anyone had any questions about what this song was about that I was able to bring it home with the message."
In the full interview Monae also talks about working with Erykah Badu and filming the track's music video. Watch above. And in case you missed it, check out the full "Q.U.E.E.N" video below.
4m
2m
4m
1m
4m
20m
4m
22m
4m
20m
1m
3m
39s
44m
4m
20m
5m
4m
3m
5m
21m
58s
4m
41m
3m
42m
3m
20m
1m
24m
51s
3m
6m
24m
3m
2m
27s
3m
3m
3m
1m
3m
2m
23m
20m
20m
4m
1m
2m
1m
3m
3m
3m
2m
54s
1m
1m
3m
2m
1m
4m
3m
1m
1m
8m
2m
2m
21m
21m
3m
4m
3m
2m
2m
3m
1m
2m
1m
2m
2m
2m
3m
2m
1m
1m
3m
3m
2m
2m
2m
3m
1m
1m
3m
56s
3m
4m
20m
4m
6m