Janelle Monáe & Nate Wonder

Janelle Monáe has had a lot to smile about this year. After a run of successful albums over the last decade, in June she released her fourth album, The Age of Pleasure. The album was just nominated for two Grammys including Album of the Year. This project is important—it signaled a big tone shift for Janelle whose past albums have centered in part around a recurring character named Cyndi Mayweather, an android who represents society’s new “other.”

Esthetically Janelle has always been buttoned up. For her first few album releases she made a point of always appearing in public in some iteration of a tuxedo. For The Age Of Pleasure though, she literally stripped down to almost nothing, flaunting a newfound freedom centered around Black joy and acceptance.

On today’s episode Justin Richmond talks to Janelle Monáe and her long time music partner Nate Wonder poolside, at their creative home base in the Hollywood Hills called Wondaland. Nate explains how The Age Of Pleasure album started with the simple conceit of making Janelle smile. Janelle also talks about why she decided to ditch a career in musical theater after college, and how THE Grace Jones ended up topless in Wondaland’s now-infamous pool.

You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Janelle Monáe songs HERE.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episoder(368)

Dave Hill and the Epistemology of Norwegian Black Metal

Dave Hill and the Epistemology of Norwegian Black Metal

Malcolm Gladwell sits down with comedian, guitarist, and legendary metalhead Dave Hill, as he recounts how an email exchange between his alter ego Lance and a Norwegian black metal impresario named Sa...

18 Des 201830min

Rosanne Cash

Rosanne Cash

“She Remembers Everything” is the name of the latest Rosanne Cash album, the 14th of her amazing career. Rosanne and her husband and musical collaborator, John Leventhal, sit down with Broken Record’s...

11 Des 201836min

Nashville Revolution: Bobby Braddock, Don Schlitz, and Don Henry

Nashville Revolution: Bobby Braddock, Don Schlitz, and Don Henry

Malcolm Gladwell talks to three songwriters who helped transform country music in the 1970s. Gone were cowboy hats, train whistles and church suppers. In came songs about desperation, loss, changes, a...

4 Des 201827min

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus Wainwright

Elton John has called Rufus Wainwright “the greatest songwriter in the world today.” Broken Record’s Bruce Headlam sits down with Rufus in Los Angeles, where Rufus performs breathtaking solo versions ...

27 Nov 201831min

Nile Rodgers and Chic

Nile Rodgers and Chic

Nile Rodgers, the mastermind behind the disco band Chic and producer of artists like David Bowie, Daft Punk and Madonna, plays live with his band and talks about his life and long musical career in th...

20 Nov 201825min

Rick Rubin

Rick Rubin

Our introductory episode is a conversation between Rick Rubin and Malcolm Gladwell, covering everything from Rick’s role in the very beginning of hip-hop to his role in introducing Johnny Cash to a ne...

13 Nov 201841min

Introducing Broken Record

Introducing Broken Record

From Malcolm Gladwell, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam: Conversations. Arguments. Stories. Remembering old music. Discovering new music. Broken Record: Liner notes for the digital age. Coming to your po...

6 Nov 20183min

Pilot: Walk on Water

Pilot: Walk on Water

In the fall of 2017, Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, and Bruce Headlam sat down with Eminem and talked about his song 'Walk on Water', featuring Beyonce. That interview became the pilot episode of Broke...

10 Nov 201713min

Populært innen Underholdning

papaya
enkel-servering
harm-og-hegseth
tusvik-tnne
storefri-med-mikkel-og-herman
konspirasjonspodden
topp-3-med-wold-og-fladseth
folk-flest-med-linn-og-nils
hovla
big-5-med-nils-og-harald-2
tore-og-haralds-podkast
nare-venner
ma-pa-behandling-med-morten-ramm
vitnemal
gi-meg-alle-detaljene
podme-bio-3
rss-gammal-maiden
feedback-med-egon-holstad
rss-brassers
christine-dancke