| 1 | [[quoteright:281:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_mrac77h1af1qc8it5o1_500_5289.jpg]] |
| 2 | |
| 3 | [floatboxright:Influences: |
| 4 | + Music/MichaelJackson, Music/StevieWonder, Music/{{Prince}}, Music/JanetJackson, Music/ErykahBadu, Music/OutKast, Music/JamesBrown, Music/SunRa, Music/JimiHendrix, Creator/WaltDisney, Creator/SalvadorDali, Creator/OctaviaButler, Creator/IsaacAsimov, Franchise/JamesBond, Music/TheBeachBoys |
| 5 | ] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ->''I imagined many moons in the sky lighting the way to freedom.'' |
| 8 | -->-- '''[[RobotOrSpacemanAlterEgo Cindi Mayweather]]''' |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Janelle Monáe Robinson, known professionally as Janelle Monáe, is an American [[RenaissanceMan singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, actor, author, and model.]] |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Born on December 1, 1985 in UsefulNotes/KansasCity, Kansas, Monáe had always dreamed of being a performer on the stage as a child. She left Kansas for New York to study theatre at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. At first, Monáe aimed to become a performer on Broadway, but she changed her mind and went to music instead, feeling that music has the power to change the world. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | Later on, Monáe moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she met Big Boi from Music/{{Outkast}} and founded the Wondaland Arts Society. Big Boi introduced Monáe to [[Music/SeanCombs Sean "P Diddy" Combs]], which led her to be signed to Creator/BadBoyRecords in 2006, and she later moved to Creator/EpicRecords in 2015 forming her own label, Wondaland Records, which has since signed a number of other artists. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | With few exceptions, Monáe's output is within the [[{{Afrofuturism}} Afrofuturist]] genre. All of her major releases are {{Concept Album}}s that address subjects such as discrimination, racism, feminism, LGBT rights and self-liberation using futuristic sci-fi settings. ''The Chase'', ''The [=ArchAndroid=]'' and ''The Electric Lady'' tell the story of the futuristic dystopia of Metropolis, starring Cindi Mayweather, a [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots popular musician android]] and [[SuperPrototype prototype]] for the equally popular, mass-produced Alpha Platinum 3000 droid model. Cindi falls in love with a human named Anthony Greendown and finds a bounty placed on her head as a result. Her album ''Dirty Computer'' and its accompanying film (or "emotion picture") tells a different narrative but with similar themes, starring [[AuthorAvatar Jane 57821]] (played by Monáe) who rebels with her lovers Zen and Ché against the violently conformist expectations of a totalitarian society. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | She is also building a successful acting career, including acclaimed roles in ''Film/Moonlight2016'', ''Film/HiddenFigures'', and ''Film/GlassOnion''. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | Monáe is pansexual and nonbinary, stating that she uses she/her and they/them pronouns. She's also practiced {{polyamory}}. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | ---- |
| 23 | !!Discography: |
| 24 | [[index]] |
| 25 | * ''The Audition'' (2003) [[note]]A self-published release from back before Monáe founded the Wondaland Arts Society. It has not been re-released under her label.[[/note]] |
| 26 | * ''Music/MetropolisTheChaseSuite'' (2008) |
| 27 | * ''[[Music/TheArchAndroid The [=ArchAndroid=] (Suites II and III)]]'' (2010) |
| 28 | * ''Music/TheElectricLady (Suites IV & V)'' (2013) |
| 29 | * ''Music/DirtyComputer'' (2018) |
| 30 | * ''Music/TheAgeOfPleasure'' (2023) |
| 31 | [[/index]] |
| 32 | ---- |
| 33 | !! Videography: |
| 34 | * "Many Moons" (2008) |
| 35 | * "Tightrope" (2010) |
| 36 | * "Cold War" (2010) |
| 37 | * "We Are Young" (featured with {{Music/Fun}}) (2012) |
| 38 | * "Q.U.E.E.N." (2013) |
| 39 | * "Dance Apocalyptic" (2013) |
| 40 | * "[=PrimeTime=]" (featuring Miguel) (2013) |
| 41 | * "Electric Lady" (2014) |
| 42 | * "Yoga" (featuring Jidenna) (2015) |
| 43 | * "Venus Fly" (featured with Music/{{Grimes}}) (2017) |
| 44 | * "Make Me Feel" (2018) |
| 45 | * "Django Jane" (2018) |
| 46 | * "PYNK" (2018) |
| 47 | * "I Like That" (2018) |
| 48 | * "Lipstick Lover" (2023) |
| 49 | ---- |
| 50 | !! Filmography: |
| 51 | * ''WesternAnimation/Rio2'' (2014) as Dr. Monae (voice) |
| 52 | * ''Film/{{Moonlight|2016}}'' (2016) as Teresa |
| 53 | * ''Film/HiddenFigures'' (2016) as Mary Jackson |
| 54 | * ''Series/PhilipKDicksElectricDreams'' in "[[Recap/PhilipKDicksElectricDreamsS1E8Autofac Autofac]]" as Alice |
| 55 | * ''Film/DirtyComputer'' (2018) as Jane 57821 |
| 56 | * ''Film/WelcomeToMarwen'' (2018) as Julie |
| 57 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Uglydolls}}'' (2019) as Mandy (voice) |
| 58 | * Disney's ''Lady And The Tramp'' (2019) as Peg (voice) |
| 59 | * ''Film/{{Harriet}}'' (2019) as Marie Buchanon |
| 60 | * ''Film/{{Antebellum}}'' (2020) as Veronica Henley/Eden |
| 61 | * ''Series/{{Homecoming}}'' (2020) as Jackie (lead role in Season 2) |
| 62 | * ''Film/GlassOnion'' (2022) as Cassandra "Andi" Brand [[spoiler:and Helen Brand]] |
| 63 | ---- |
| 64 | !!Books |
| 65 | * ''The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer'' (2022) (with Yohanca Delgado, Eve L. Ewing, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Danny Lore, and Sheree Renée Thomas) |
| 66 | ---- |
| 67 | !!''May these tropes reach your heart:'' |
| 68 | |
| 69 | * AbortedArc: Instead of consisting of the sixth and seventh suites of the "Metropolis" series, ''Dirty Computer'' drops all references to Cindi Mayweather and focuses on a new alter ego called Jane. (A resumption of ''Metropolis'' at some point in the future has not been ruled out, however, so this may be more a case of Delayed Arc than Aborted Arc.) |
| 70 | * AdvertisedExtra: She is credited as a feature on {{Music/Fun}}'s "We Are Young", but she sings only 4 lines that are almost obscured by the background vocals. She is more noticeably featured in the video, but she only appears for about 20 seconds. |
| 71 | * {{Afrofuturism}}: Uses futuristic and android imagery to discuss contemporary issues faced by the African-American community. |
| 72 | * AgeOfTitles: ''The Age of Pleasure'' (2023). |
| 73 | * AgonyOfTheFeet: "57821" describes Anthony looking for Cindi until "his feet became bloody and tired". |
| 74 | * AlbumIntroTrack: All of her releases since ''The Chase'' have them. Unusually for this trope, ''Diry Computer''[='=]s is also its title track. ''The [=ArchAndroid=]'' and ''The Electric Lady'' arguably have ''two'' - one for each half of the album. |
| 75 | * AllPartOfTheShow: The only people that suspect something is wrong when Cindi has a seizure in the "Many Moons" video are Lady Maestra and 6ix Savage. |
| 76 | * AllThereInTheManual: The [[http://flash.atlrec.com/janellemonae/dance_apocalyptic_emotion_picture_treatment.pdf full story of Dance Apocalyptic.]] |
| 77 | * AlterEgoActing: Janelle Monáe's character, Cindi Mayweather, not to mention her many sisters and various other characters she plays in videos. |
| 78 | * AmbiguouslyBi: Due to the bisexual themes in much of her work, earlier on in her career, Monáe was repeatedly questioned about her sexuality, and never gave a firm answer, instead saying that both women and men are "wonderful", and that she "only date[s] androids, because they don’t cheat on you". Averted as of 2018, after she publicly came out as pansexual. |
| 79 | -->''"I keep my personal life very much to myself. I want everybody to focus on my music. I also don’t want to let anybody down. I want women to still be attracted to me. Go get my album! I want men to still be attracted to me so I have to be political in this. So I can’t really tell y’all!"'' |
| 80 | * AmbiguousEnding: Although ''Dirty Computer'' ends with [[spoiler: the three lovers escaping the facility]], it's unknown if [[spoiler: Zen and Jane actually got their memories and identities back somehow, or are still mindwiped but inspired to rebellion.]] ''The Memory Librarian'' reveals that [[spoiler: Jane at least hung on to enough of her memories that she could get them safely to the Pynk Hotel, a rebel commune.]] |
| 81 | * AmbiguouslyHuman: Cindi Mayweather. She is very human-like, despite being an android. |
| 82 | * ArcNumber: 57821, which is Cindi's serial number. It also appears as Monáe patient number at the Palace of the Dogs Asylum in the "Tightrope" video, and is used as the title of a song on ''The [=ArchAndroid=]''. The number reappears in the ''Dirty Computer'' emotion picture as Janelle's patient number in the cleansing house. |
| 83 | * AxCrazy: Her song "Come Alive" plays this trope straight. |
| 84 | * BadassCape: Appears frequently in her live performances. |
| 85 | * BaroquePop: She could be considered a particularly unique modern example; her music certainly utilises many pop conventions, and the melodic hooks are always a central focus of her music, but the unusual, often complicated arrangements of her songs take her far from conventional pop territory. Songs like "[=BabopbyeYa=]", "Don't Judge Me", and "Say You'll Go" are particularly relevant examples here. |
| 86 | * {{Bifauxnen}}: In her [=ArchAndroid=] days, at least. She adopts a more conventionally feminine look for her singles after "Q.U.E.E.N." |
| 87 | * BlackCloak: The Punk Prophets and the guards at the Palace of the Dogs Asylum. |
| 88 | * {{Bookends}}: Given that "Dirty Computer" is essentially an AlbumIntroTrack, its eponymous album is arguably bookended by Reverend Sean [=McMillan=]'s "love sermon", which opens "Crazy, Classic, Life" and appears again near the end of "Americans". |
| 89 | * BountyHunter: The Metropolis government sends several after Cindi. |
| 90 | * ButNowIMustGo: Near the end of "[=BaBopByeYa=]". |
| 91 | -->''I see beyond tomorrow\ |
| 92 | This life of strife and sorrow\ |
| 93 | My freedom calls and I must go!'' |
| 94 | * TheCameo: The "Many Moons" video features appearances by Big Boi as Sir Luscious Leftfoot and Deep Cotton as the Punk Prophets; both of these artists are featured on songs in ''The [=ArchAndroid=]''. |
| 95 | * ChainsawGood |
| 96 | -->''The droid control marshals are full of fun rules today--no phasers, only chainsaws and electro-daggers!'' |
| 97 | * TheChosenOne: Cindi is the [=ArchAndroid=], [[JigsawPuzzlePlot whatever that means]]. |
| 98 | * CloudCuckooLander: Janelle claims to be a time traveller, and other such whimsical antics. |
| 99 | * ConceptAlbum: From the very beginning, it seems. ''The Audition'' generally doesn't adhere to the concept, but "Metropolis", for example, has ties to the Cindi Mayweather plot. |
| 100 | * CoolCrown: The ''[=ArchAndroid=]'' cover has her wearing one that looks like an ArtDeco, {{Zeerust}} city. Apparently, it's the Archandroid's Crown, a {{magitek}} headdress built by a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot half-human, half-elf, mystical genius scientist]] by the name of Zoman Ignatius, who built it after it had been prophesied to be worn by the [=ArchAndroid=] in the future. Unfortunately, it was stolen many years later, and eventually lost after it was whisked away into the underground. Replicas have been popping up ever since, and one of them just happened to fall into the hands of [[BreakingTheFourthWall Janelle Monáe in our time.]] |
| 101 | * CoolShades: [[http://cdn.concreteloop.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/27918pcn_viper09.jpg Here you go.]] |
| 102 | * CostumePorn: "Many Moons" features an auction of several specialized Alpha Platinum 3000s, and as such, Monáe in several different outfits. |
| 103 | * CoverVersion: |
| 104 | ** A cover of Creator/CharlieChaplin's "Smile" appears on ''The Chase''. |
| 105 | ** On the Target Exclusive version of ''The Electric Lady'' is a cover of Music/TheJacksonFive's "I Want You Back". |
| 106 | ** In a concert at the White House, Monaé covered the title song from ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' in a tribute to Music/ShirleyBassey. |
| 107 | * CozyCatastrophe: "Dance Apocalyptic" encourages the listener to "dance until the end", "laugh at the zombie in the front yard", etc. |
| 108 | * DancingIsSeriousBusiness: "Dance Or Die". |
| 109 | * DeaderThanDead: Whichever bounty hunter catches Cindi must turn her cybersoul in to the Star Commission, presumably so that this trope can be carried out. |
| 110 | * DissonantSerenity: The announcer in "March of the Wolfmasters", as mentioned below under FauxAffablyEvil. |
| 111 | * DoAndroidsDream: The drama track that opens ''The Chase'', "March of the Wolfmasters", indicates that androids have "cybersouls". The TropeNamer is also referenced in "Make the Bus". |
| 112 | * DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: In the original script for Dance Apocalyptic, one newspaper reads: "ANDROIDS WANT YOUR JOB !" |
| 113 | * DoubleStandard: Her rap at the end of "Crazy, Classic, Life" discusses this in regards to race, noting that she and her white friend(s) received very different consequences for being young and rebellious: |
| 114 | -->''Me and you was friends, but to them, we the opposite\ |
| 115 | The same mistake, I'm in jail, you on top of shit\ |
| 116 | You living life while I'm walking around moppin' shit\ |
| 117 | Tech kid, backpack, now you a college kid\ |
| 118 | All I wanted was to break the rules like you\ |
| 119 | All I wanted was someone to love me too\ |
| 120 | But no matter where it was I always stood out\ |
| 121 | Black Waldo dancing with the thick brows'' |
| 122 | * TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: "Dance Apocalyptic" features lyrics about "[[CozyCatastrophe dancing to the end]]" and the video is interrupted by a news broadcast reporting on various major U.S. cities being destroyed by disasters. |
| 123 | * EpicRocking: If we only count single tracks, "[=BabopbyeYa=]" is 8:48, "Don't Judge Me" is 6:04, and "Say You'll Go" is 6:01. However, a lot of her tracks really count as movements of longer songs. Not all the examples in FadingIntoTheNextSong below could be considered to count for this trope, but a few ("Dance or Die" → "Faster" → "Locked Inside", "Jane's Dream" → "Screwed" → "Django Jane") almost certainly could. |
| 124 | * EpiphanicPrison: Shown in the song "Many Moons". |
| 125 | -->''You're free but in your mind, your freedom's in a bind...'' |
| 126 | * EroticEating: Done briefly with a lollipop in the video for "Make Me Feel". |
| 127 | * EvilBrit: One of the two "cleaners" in the ''Dirty Computer'' emotion picture, though he's the more hesitant of the two. |
| 128 | * ExpectingSomeoneTaller: She's 5'0" (152 cm). |
| 129 | * FadingIntoTheNextSong: She loves this trope, to the point where some albums use this far more often than clean breaks between songs. ''Metropolis: The Chase Suite'' only employs this trope between "Violet Stars Happy Hunting!" and "Many Moons" (which together reach 8:41), but after that... *deep breath* |
| 130 | ** ''The [=ArchAndroid=]'': |
| 131 | *** "Overture II" → "Dance or Die" → "Faster" → "Locked Inside" (13:21). "Overture II" can be considered somewhat separate from the others, but if you weren't listening for the transitions between the latter three, you wouldn't even notice them. |
| 132 | *** "Cold War" → "Tightrope" (7:46) |
| 133 | *** "Neon Gumbo" → "Oh, Maker" (5:25) |
| 134 | *** "Overture III" → "Neon Valley Street" → "Make the Bus" → "Wondaland" (12:48; note that there's something of a FakeOutFadeOut close to the end of "Neon Valley Street", though) |
| 135 | ** ''The Electric Lady'' (not counting interludes, which would make this list even longer if included): |
| 136 | *** "Suite IV Electric Overture" → "Givin Em What They Love" → "Q.U.E.E.N." → "Electric Lady" (16:23) |
| 137 | *** "Dance Apocalyptic" → "Look Into My Eyes" (5:49) |
| 138 | *** "Suite V Electric Overture" → "It's Code" → "Ghetto Woman" (11:16) |
| 139 | *** "Can't Live Without Your Love" → "Sally Ride" (8:03) |
| 140 | ** And then ''Dirty Computer'' takes it even further; the only clear break in ''Dirty Computer'' is between "Don't Judge Me" and "Stevie's Dream", though there are a few brief gaps of less than a second between a few of these tracks. Songs with no gaps whatsoever: |
| 141 | *** "Dirty Computer" → "Crazy, Classic, Life" → "Take a Byte" (10:54) |
| 142 | *** "Jane's Dream" → "Screwed" → "Django Jane" (8:31) |
| 143 | *** "I Got the Juice" → "I Like That" (7:07) |
| 144 | *** "Stevie's Dream" → "So Afraid" → "Americans" (8:57) |
| 145 | ** The entirety of ''The Age of Pleasure'' can be played as one seamless loop. |
| 146 | * FantasticArousal: "Wondaland" has the lines "I'm so inspired, / You touched my wires." |
| 147 | * FantasticRacism: Against perfectly sapient androids. "Metropolis" implies that they are also confined to a "wired side" of town, which other songs imply is underground. |
| 148 | * FauxAffablyEvil: The announcer in "March of the Wolfmasters" is gushingly cheerful about the bounty on Cindi's head and the fact that it's only redeemable if you kill her with "chainsaws and electro-daggers" and rip out her soul to boot. |
| 149 | * FirstLove: [[MeaningfulName Joey Vice]], who met Cindi Mayweather while she was working as a cyber-server. |
| 150 | * FreeLoveFuture: Whether or not this is true for all of Metropolis is unclear, but Cindi is implied to practice a polyamorous lifestyle. Especially within "Mushrooms and Roses". |
| 151 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: "Django Jane" includes the lines "paint the city pink" and "let the vagina have a monologue", with the following track being "PYNK", which is full of yonic imagery both in the song's lyrics and video. |
| 152 | * FugitiveArc: The entirety of the ''Metropolis'' saga is this. |
| 153 | * GenreBusting[=/=]GenreRoulette: Definitely falls into the former and at least borders on the latter at times - for instance, ''Dirty Computer'' has the hip-hop track "Django Jane" and the lushly orchestrated "Don't Judge Me" within a few songs of each other (though to be fair, "Django Jane" has a fair amount of orchestration as well). About a dozen different genres are major influences on her work, and there's no telling which will dominate a particular track on an album without listening to it (or at least reading commentary on it). |
| 154 | * GirlinessUpgrade: Janelle is pushing the limits of her black and white aesthetic. She often wears more traditionally feminine clothing, always in black and white, and changed her once nude lipstick color to a bright red. Compare her [[http://stupiddope.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/tumblr_m5ms7c4pzm1qbiu5fo1_500.jpg Archandroid era style]] to [[http://cdn.cnwimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Janelle-Monae.jpg her Electric Lady style]]. |
| 155 | * HotterAndSexier: ''Dirty Computer'' aims for a raw, sensual atmosphere by abandoning the sanitized "Cindi" android persona. |
| 156 | ** If the title of the album and the video for its first single, "Lipstick Lover", are any indication, ''The Age of Pleasure'' is going even harder in this direction. |
| 157 | * IncrediblyLongNote: The end of "Come Alive". Notable not only for its length (20 seconds) but how high the note is. |
| 158 | * InsistentTerminology: She consistently refers to her music videos - up to and including ''Dirty Computer'''s 45-minute film - as "[[{{Pun}} emotion pictures]]". |
| 159 | * IntercourseWithYou: |
| 160 | ** "Wondaland", which makes reference to [[FantasticArousal touching of wires]] and leaving underpants somewhere. |
| 161 | ** A number of songs from ''Dirty Computer'', such as "Take a Byte", "Screwed", "PYNK", "Make Me Feel", and "Don't Judge Me", are partly or entirely based around this. |
| 162 | * InterspeciesRomance: Central to the plot is the romance between Cindi Mayweather, an android, and Anthony Greendown, a human. |
| 163 | * JigsawPuzzlePlot: Very little of the plot has been explicitly shown. |
| 164 | * TheLancer: Kellindo Parker's many guitar solos on The Archandroid and The Electric Lady firmly establish him as her foil. |
| 165 | * LeotardOfPower: Worn by Janelle and her dancers at one point in the video for "PYNK". |
| 166 | * LighterAndSofter: While her music has never been particularly dark, ''Dirty Computer'' contains some of her brightest material yet (though there is still some more emotionally intense fare like "Don't Judge Me" and "So Afraid"). |
| 167 | ** ''The Age of Pleasure'' also serves as this, focusing more on hedonism, confidence, and freedom of sexual expression. |
| 168 | * LimitedWardrobe: The reason why she dresses up in a tuxedo all of the time? She considers it her uniform, and it represents the working people. Since ''The Electric Lady'' and her GirlinessUpgrade, this is mostly averted, though she brings the suit back at times, like the video for "Django Jane". |
| 169 | * LoudnessWar: Refreshingly averted. Just about every song is produced with meticulous detail, containing multiple layers of instrumentation and vocal touches that require many listens to catch all the nuances. As such, the dynamics have never gone below a DR of 7, and average between 9 and 10. |
| 170 | ** ''Dirty Computer'' unfortunately falls into this somewhat more, though it's still not too extreme by modern standards. The CD's average dynamic range is [=DR7=]; oddly, the digital download is slightly louder, at [=DR6=]. "Americans", at [=DR4=], gets the worst of it; a few other songs hit [=DR5=]. |
| 171 | * LyricalDissonance: "March of the Wolfmasters" again. |
| 172 | * LysistrataGambit: |
| 173 | ** In an [[https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/a26335/fresh-faces-2017/ interview]] with Marie Claire, she suggested that women do this to combat men's sexism, though she later clarified that she wasn't being entirely literal. |
| 174 | --->"''People have to start respecting the vagina. Until every man is fighting for our rights, we should consider stopping having sex. I love men. But evil men? I will not tolerate that. You don't deserve to be in my presence.''" |
| 175 | ** She revisits this idea in "Django Jane" (though WordOfGod is that there are multiple ways to [[https://genius.com/13925343 interpret]] this lyric): |
| 176 | --->''We gon' start a motherfuckin' pussy riot\ |
| 177 | Or we gon' have to put 'em on a pussy diet'' |
| 178 | * MoodWhiplash: She has several examples of this, but "Make the Bus" almost certainly stands out beyond all the others. |
| 179 | * TheMovieBuff: Janelle has an extensive knowledge of cinema, as shown in "Tightrope" which references ''Meshes of the Afternoon'', and "Q.U.E.E.N.", which references ''Qui êtes vous, Polly Magoo ?''. Not to mention her entire ''Metropolis'' saga being named after and largely inspired by, well, ''Film/{{Metropolis}}''. |
| 180 | * MsFanservice: If you count wearing assless chaps during a {{Music/Prince}} performance as a fanservice-y act, then absolutely. |
| 181 | * MusicalPastiche: She's done several; much of ''The Electric Lady'' in particular plays like a 21st century Creator/{{Motown}} record. A few examples: |
| 182 | ** "It's Code" is basically a [[Music/TheJacksonFive Jackson 5]] song; Janelle even does a dead-on impersonation of an adolescent Music/MichaelJackson. |
| 183 | ** "Ghetto Woman" wouldn't have felt out of place on a mid-seventies Music/StevieWonder album (e.g., ''Music/SongsInTheKeyOfLife''), apart from the rap break (which still has instrumentation typical of Wonder's work during the era). |
| 184 | ** Speaking of rap breaks, the instrumentation underneath "Q.U.E.E.N."'s convincingly mimics the musical style of Music/MarvinGaye's ''Music/WhatsGoingOn'', which it explicitly mentions. |
| 185 | ** And speaking of Marvin Gaye, "What an Experience" is very similar in style to "Sexual Healing", at least until the {{reggae}}-influenced part nearer the end. |
| 186 | ** "Givin Em What They Love" is basically a Music/{{Prince}} song, not a surprise given that the man himself features on it. From ''Dirty Computer'', "Make Me Feel" and "Americans" also wouldn't have felt at all out of place on, say, ''Music/{{Purple Rain|Album}}''; Prince himself appears to have written the synth riff to the former. Even from before Prince started appearing on her records, "Make the Bus" (a collaboration with Music/OfMontreal) also has clear Prince influence. |
| 187 | * NeatFreak: Her perfectionism extends beyond the realms of music and performance, as anyone can see from her appearance, and she dislikes mess in general. |
| 188 | * NewSoundAlbum: |
| 189 | ** Inverted in that ''The Chase'' (and later work) is very different from her first album ''The Audition,'' which had a more conventional R&B/pop sound. |
| 190 | ** Arguably all of her albums to some extent. ''The [=ArchAndroid=]'' made lush orchestral elements a central element of her sound; ''The Electric Lady'' was funkier and more overtly Creator/{{Motown}}-influenced while keeping a lot of the orchestral influence; ''Dirty Computer'' cranks up the influence from modern pop and hip-hop without abandoning the complexity of her previous two albums. There are some elements that are constant throughout her music, though. |
| 191 | * NonAppearingTitle: Several examples. Notably, "Many Moons" plays it straight as a standalone song, but the music video provides the TitleDrop used in the page quote. |
| 192 | * TheOner: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqmORiHNtN4 "Cold War"]] is a single long take of Janelle's face as she lip-syncs to the song. |
| 193 | * OddCouple: With Joey Vice. He's a punk, and she has the look and poise of a classic movie star. |
| 194 | * OpeningNarration: Some of her concert performances open with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtX6PfBtd10 one]], [[{{Troperiffic}} highly reminiscent]] of the narration of [[Literature/{{Dune}} Princess Irulan]]. |
| 195 | * PerformanceVideo: |
| 196 | ** "Many Moons", although it still fits into the ''Metropolis'' concept. |
| 197 | ** "Dance Apocalyptic" features Monáe performing as the Electric Lady on an ''Series/AmericanBandstand'' pastiche. |
| 198 | * PinkIsErotic: The song "Pynk" associates the color with a lot of sexual and intimate imagery. The video features dancers in pink pants that resemble a labia. |
| 199 | --> "Pink like the inside of your, baby\ |
| 200 | Pink behind all of the doors, crazy\ |
| 201 | Pink like the tongue that goes down, maybe\ |
| 202 | Pink like the paradise found\ |
| 203 | Pink when you're blushing inside, baby" |
| 204 | * {{Polyamory}}: In ''Dirty Computer,'' protagonist Jane has feelings for both Zen and Che. Both of them appear to be fine with this. |
| 205 | * {{Prequel}}: ''The Electric Lady'' is the prequel to the Metropolis saga. |
| 206 | * ProtestSong: |
| 207 | ** "Mr. President", which is mainly about putting education over warfare. |
| 208 | ** "Americans" and "Django Jane" also have some protest elements. |
| 209 | ** The single [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwtt22OFfgE "Hell You Talmbout"]][[note]]the chorus is African American Vernacular English for "What the hell are you talking about?"[[/note]] was specifically written by Monáe and the Wondaland roster to be used in protests, a drum line and choir accompanying a chant of names of Black citizens killed by PoliceBrutality and racial violence. The band also released an instrumental version so protestors could [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fumaCsQ9wKw insert their own chant]] with other names as desired. |
| 210 | * PublicDomainSoundtrack: "Say You'll Go" has a few bars of Claude Debussy's "''Clair de Lune''" on it. |
| 211 | * PunBasedTitle: "Screwed" can be taken both in a negative (as in, we've been ruined) and a positive sense (let's have sex as a form of protest). |
| 212 | * QueerColors: She employs pink, purple, and blue lighting in her music video for "Make Me Feel." Monae is queer, and the video shows her flirting with both a man and a woman. |
| 213 | * RagsToRiches: This is noteworthy as Janelle Monáe makes a point to use this part of her story to inspire both her fans and her aesthetic: Her mother was a janitor, her father was a garbage truck driver who struggled with drug addiction, and to go to Conservatory she spent time working with her mother. While producing ''The Audition'', she was working at Office Depot, and incidentally, got fired for messaging fans on store computers. |
| 214 | * RepurposedPopSong: |
| 215 | ** "Tightrope" was used in a number of commercials for the Chevrolet Cruze. |
| 216 | ** "Make Me Feel" has seen usage in commercials for Ritz Cheese Crispers. |
| 217 | * RoboFamily: The prerelease for ''The Electric Lady'' reveals that Cindi has five sisters, all of them Alpha Platinum 3000s. Exactly what "sister" means when the [=AP3000=] is a mass production model has yet to be revealed. |
| 218 | * {{Robosexual}}: In the past the only clues about her sexuality Monáe revealed were along the lines of a 2011 Evening Standard interview where she stated "I only date androids", though she clarified, sort of, that 'android' was a metaphor for "the new 'other'. |
| 219 | * RobotGirl: |
| 220 | ** Cindi Mayweather, the protagonist of the android trilogy. |
| 221 | ** {{Subverted}} in the ''Dirty Computer'' emotion picture: people are called "computers", but they appear to just be biological humans whose minds are manipulated like a hard disk drive. |
| 222 | * RuleOfCool: Several aspects of her aesthetic. For example, the "Q.U.E.E.N." video features a turntable whose needle is a golden canine tooth on a white skull. |
| 223 | * ScienceFantasy: The setting is an ultra-futuristic city full of RidiculouslyHumanRobots, but magic is apparently present. |
| 224 | * SesameStreetCred: She appeared on ''Series/SesameStreet'' itself with a motivational song called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLeUvZvuvAs The Power of Yet]]." |
| 225 | * SecondLove: Anthony Greendown turned out to be this for Cindi Mayweather. |
| 226 | * SexyPackaging: The album art for ''The Age of Pleasure'' depicts Monáe swimming through a row of men's legs while all of them are topless. |
| 227 | * ShoutOut: |
| 228 | ** Electric sheep are mentioned in "Faster" and "Q.U.E.E.N.", and the story's full title, ''Literature/DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep'', is mentioned in "Make the Bus". |
| 229 | ** "Metropolis" mentions searching for [[Literature/ParadiseLost paradise found]]. |
| 230 | ** The music video for "Tightrope" features two cloaked figures with flat mirrors as masks. These same figures appeared in Maya Deren's classic 1940 avant garde film "Meshes of the Afternoon." |
| 231 | ** The opening lines of "Dance Apocalyptic" are a reference to "Bands-A-Make-Her-Dance" by Juicy J. |
| 232 | ** "Django Jane" is full of these, with shout-outs to ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'', Pussy Riot, ''Film/Moonlight2016'', Franchise/JamesBond, Creator/VincentVanGogh, ''Series/HowToGetAwayWithMurder'', ''Series/{{Scandal}}'', Creator/ViolaDavis, ''{{Franchise/Transformers}}'', Music/BobMarley's "I Shot the Sheriff", ''Theatre/TheVaginaMonologues'', and, of course, ''Film/DjangoUnchained''. There are other, subtler ones as well; Monáe herself has explained some of these on the song's [[https://genius.com/Janelle-monae-django-jane-lyrics Genius page]]. |
| 233 | ** "Screwed" contains a possible shout-out to Music/NineInchNails' "[[Music/TheDownwardSpiral Closer]]" ("wanna get screwed like an animal"). Both songs have a lot of Music/{{Prince}} influence, so it's not as off the wall as it might sound at first. |
| 234 | ** "Q.U.E.E.N." contains a reference to Music/MarvinGaye's ''Music/WhatsGoingOn'', as well as to historical figures like UsefulNotes/HarrietTubman and Queen Nefertiti. Additionally, she name-drops mastering engineer Bernie Grundman, who has won some 37 Grammy Awards. |
| 235 | ** "Electric Lady" contains references to Music/{{Prince}}'s "U Got the Look", UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc, Mia Farrow, and ''Series/{{Lassie}}'', among others. |
| 236 | * SlidingScaleOfIdealismVSCynicism: Very, very much so on the idealistic end, though done [[AWorldHalfFull not without acknowledging the world's many problems.]] |
| 237 | * SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is it Cindi or Cindy? Official sources lean heavily toward the former. |
| 238 | * SpokenWordInMusic: "Ooh La La" is a brief spoken interlude performed by Creator/GraceJones. |
| 239 | * StarCrossedLovers: Cindi and Anthony; in Metropolis, an android who falls in love with a human faces the death penalty, whether they act on their feelings or not. It's implied that Anthony is being hunted down as well. This trope is lampshaded in "March of the Wolfmasters", where Cindi is introduced as "a new star-crossed winner in our Heartbreak Sweepstakes." |
| 240 | * TheStinger: |
| 241 | ** The ''Dirty Computer'' emotion picture ends on what looks like a DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Jane 57821 is completely cleansed and becomes another "Mary Apple" to help with Ché's cleansing process.]] However, just after the credits, we are treated to a scene of [[spoiler:Xen, having regained her individuality, tossing two gas masks to Ché and Jane - who has successfully clung to her memories and dreams -, gassing the whole facility with Nevermind, and the three of them escaping.]] |
| 242 | ** The album also qualifies: "Americans" closes with "Please sign your name on the dotted line" as an example of this. |
| 243 | ** There's something of one at the end of "Neon Valley Street" as well; the song has a FakeOutFadeOut before what sounds like a recording of a phone call leads into "Make the Bus". |
| 244 | * TheStoic: She certainly comes across as so in interviews, but during performances she is far more upbeat, and has at least twice been moved to tears on camera. |
| 245 | * {{Stripperiffic}}: Averted, which is uncommon for R&B singers. |
| 246 | -->''[[LampshadeHanging T-t-t-talkin' bout, "Why don't she change her clothes?"]] Well, they ain't seem to mind the last THREE times I posed in Vogue!!'' |
| 247 | * SuperPrototype: Cindi is the prototype for her line and appears to have powers that later models don't. |
| 248 | * TakeThat: ''Dirty Computer'' features several variations on "this pussy grabs back", a clap-back to certain comments about women made by the 45th US president. |
| 249 | * TearJerker: {{Invoked}}; Monáe tears up in the "Cold War" video. |
| 250 | * ThreeChordsAndTheTruth: ''Dirty Computer'' could be considered a downplayed example of this compared to her previous two albums, especially ''The [=ArchAndroid=]''; the pop influence is increased and the arrangements are moderately less complicated. Regardless, it's still quite a bit more ornate than your typical modern pop music. |
| 251 | * TimePolice: The conceit for the "Q.U.E.E.N." video is that Monáe has been arrested by the Time Council and placed in a museum full of time-frozen musical revolutionaries, but is freed by some young freedom fighters. |
| 252 | * TrilogyCreep: The covers of ''The Chase'' and ''The [=ArchAndroid=]'' imply that the Metropolis saga was planned to be four suites long. However, ''The Electric Lady'' is comprised of suites IV ''and'' V, and its album cover implies that the story will now reach at least seven suites. |
| 253 | * UncommonTime: Probably not a complete list: |
| 254 | ** "Overture II" changes time signatures several times, including a bit of 5/4. |
| 255 | ** "[=BabopbyeYa=]" also uses several time signatures. Around 3:30, there's a segment with (6+5)/8, surrounded by otherwise plain 6/8. The shift is very subtle, and if you weren't counting, you'd probably miss it, but also feel unaccountably disoriented. |
| 256 | ** The verses of "So Afraid" are in 10/4. |
| 257 | * VisualPun: |
| 258 | ** In "Django Jane", after she says the line "Let the vagina have a monologue", she appears rapping the next line reflected in a mirror held over a woman's crotch. |
| 259 | ** In "PYNK", a song about sex and romance with women, there are several prominent shots of a fluffy cat. |
| 260 | * VoiceOfTheLegion: The voice of the announcer in "March of the Wolfmasters" is occasionally overlaid with a deep, robotic voice, lending her this effect. It's also present in the "I love you, and I won't take no for an answer" line in "Violet Stars Happy Hunting!". |
| 261 | * WhiteMaskOfDoom: The Punk Prophets. Deep Cotton wear plague doctor masks while the rest of the prophets wear lantern-jawed masks. |
| 262 | * WholePlotReference: |
| 263 | ** Her ''Metropolis'' series is named after Creator/FritzLang's 1927 silent film ''Film/{{Metropolis}}'', from which it takes several elements of its plot and setting, though she puts her own spin on them. |
| 264 | ** The series could also be considered one to ''Literature/DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep'', given that Creator/PhilipKDick explicitly intended the androids in his novel to symbolise dehumanisation wherever it appears in society (though this has commonly been misinterpreted; Dick explicitly stated that he wrote the novel to explore the mindset that led to the Holocaust, but many readers miss the novel's subtle evidence that his androids are capable of empathy - and, for that matter, that they are basically children who never live past the age of four). The elements of bounty hunters and androids are more or less straight out of Dick's novel, and Monáe uses androids very much in the spirit that Dick intended them, to symbolise the 'other' in society. |
| 265 | * AWildRapperAppears: |
| 266 | ** "Q.U.E.E.N." ends with a rap verse from Monáe. |
| 267 | ** There are also occurrences of this in "Electric Lady", "Crazy, Classic, Life", and "Screwed", among other songs; "Screwed" also transitions seamlessly into "Django Jane", which is all rapped. It should be noted that most of the rap breaks make up about fifty seconds of their respective songs, if that - which, of course, fits perfectly under this trope. |
| 268 | * TheWonka: Certainly an eccentric whimsical character, and yet with a stern authoritative demeanor that gives her an appearance of magic power. While producing The Audition, she ran amok on AUC, performing for students and rallying them around certain messages, for example that college was a waste of money and they should look for what truly made them passionate. |
| 269 | * WretchedHive: Metropolis seems to be one, based on all the crimelords present at the robot auction shown in the "Many Moons" video. |
| 270 | * {{Yandere}}: Cindi, if a line in "Violet Stars Happy Hunting!" that goes "I love you, and I won't take no for an answer" is to be taken seriously. (Alternatively, she could be referring to her defiance of ''society'' by refusing to abandon her love for a human just because the law says so.) |
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