Janelle Monae is one of the unique singers who took the music industry by storm. Many people may not be aware that she had been in the music industry for years as she is one of those artists who seemingly had a big break out of nowhere. She seemed to find a winning style in 2010 when she released her The ArchAndroid album which got her a Grammy nomination. She has continued in that futuristic bent since then and has quite a number of fans who love her for that unique style. Below we will expose more about the life of the electric lady who is indeed an interesting person to get to know.
Janelle Monae’s Biography & Age
Born as Janelle Monae Robinson on the 1st of December 1985 in Kansas City, Kansas to a less than comfortable family, her mother scrapped a living as a janitor and her father who was a garbage truck driver had to fight with problems of drug addiction all through Janelle Monae’s childhood. This difficult background did little to hinder her and as is evident to all today, she only pushed on to massive success. Her parents’ difficulties taught her the value of hard work and she would indeed work very hard to escape the hardscrabble life.
While growing up, Janelle Monae’s artistic bent and intelligence were evident and she was a very talented singer who formed a part of her local Baptist church singing group while also appearing in local musical productions. She also explored a talent in writing by joining the Kansas City’s Coterie Theater Young Playwrights’ Round Table where she polished her skill producing full-length plays and musicals. She graduated from F.L. Schlagle High School in Kansas City and went on to get a scholarship to study musical theatre in New York City at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Janelle Monae was the only black woman in her class and she soon dropped out because according to her she felt her creativity was stifled as she was not doing enough original writing which she wanted to do as opposed to recreating characters that had been played thousands of times.
Janelle Monae got her big break in 2005 in the form of being invited to perform on Outkast tracks by Big Boi. Sean “Puffy” Combs soon signed her on to his Bad Boy Records and in 2010, Janelle Monae dropped her debut album which was received very favorably. The album which was named The ArchAndroid enraptured numerous people with its uniqueness and rose to number 17 on the Billboard U.S. album chart and also got nominated for a Grammy award. Janelle Monae’s next album was released in 2013 and was named The Electric Lady, which is now a nickname for the artist. In most Janelle Monae’s videos or appearances, she is dressed in a signature black-and-white tuxedo that is a homage to her parents who wore uniforms to do their menial jobs while she was growing up.
In 2016, Janelle Monae did a transition to Hollywood appearing in Moonlight (2016) and Hidden Figures (2016). In 2018, she released her third album called Dirty Computer.
What Is Her Net Worth?
The Electric Lady is said to be worth $6 million which stems from her activities in the music and film industry. With the continued popularity of her music, she will no doubt continue to add on the zeros even as she continues to electrify fans with her music and performances.
What Is Her Relationship Status: Is She Gay/LesbianÂ
Janelle Monae is not married. Her sexuality was the bane of a lot of questions a while back but she has since cleared it up for the loads of people who wondered. Janelle Monae identifies as a pansexual and bisexual. She has dated both the male and female gender.
In 2015, for instance, Janelle Monae was said to have dated British F1 racer, Lewis Hamilton. The two were seen together in Paris where they attended numerous events during the Paris Fashion Week. In 2018, she is said to have taken a partner from the female gender – the actress known as Tessa Thompson who appeared in her PYNK video. Janelle Monae will certainly keep a number of people guessing about her dating/married life as she remains a very private person when it comes to those issues.
Body Stats: Her Height and Weight
Janelle Monae is 5 ft or 152 cm tall. She weighs 52 kg or 115 lbs and keeps in shape through vigorous dancing during her stage performances. She is also an advocate for eating healthy and maintaining a balanced diet even while on the road touring. She drinks a lot of water and only eats light snacks like pita chips with hummus when she gets hungry between meals.