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.

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Lyle Lovett

Lyle Lovett

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J Dilla: Dan Charnas on the Life and Legacy of Jay Dee

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Today we’re talking to Dan Charnas—author, hip-hop journalist, professor, show runner, former A&R person for Def American, and also a longtime friend of Rick Rubin's. Charnas's latest book, Dilla Time...

14 Juni 20221h 7min

PJ Morton

PJ Morton

Today we begin our month-long celebration of Black Music Month with PJ Morton—the New Orleans based singer/songwriter, producer, and keyboardist for Maroon 5. Morton recently released his eighth studi...

7 Juni 202238min

Sharon Van Etten

Sharon Van Etten

Sharon Van Etten joins us today—the singer/songwriter who Pitchfork recently crowned an “indie rock institution.” Earlier this month, Van Etten released her sixth and arguably best album, We’ve Been G...

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