Janelle Monáe

Janelle Monáe is a Grammy-nominated artist known for blending soul, funk, hip-hop, and new wave with science fiction themes in their music. After years in Atlanta's underground scene, Monáe gained prominence with their theatrical, retro-futuristic sound and socially conscious lyrics. Their albums The ArchAndroid (2010), The Electric Lady (2013), and Dirty Computer (2018) tackled themes of race, identity, and liberation, earning widespread acclaim with hits like "Tightrope," "Yoga," and "Make Me Feel." In 2021, Monáe was behind "Stronger," an 18-minute updated version of "Say Her Name (Hell You Talmbout)," the 2015 protest song which spotlighted female victims of police violence.

In addition to music, Monáe has balanced a successful acting career, appearing in films such as "Moonlight," "Hidden Figures," and "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery." They debuted on The New York Times bestseller list in 2022 with the sci-fi collection "The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer." Monáe also released The Age of Pleasure in 2023, a vibrant album celebrating the African diaspora, which was later nominated for Album of the Year at the 2024 Grammys. Monáe, who came out as pansexual in 2018 and later as nonbinary, continues to be a groundbreaking figure in both music and film.