Sometimes it is hard to explain why there is a certain amount of hype surrounding a new artist, but this is not the case with Janelle Monae. She is turning heads everywhere from Rolling Stone to Sound Opinions because she is just so hard to explain.
She is lauded by Puff Daddy and sings with members of Outkast – but she is not hip-hop.
She slinks and croons more seductively than Duffy or Amy Winehouse – but she isn’t neo-soul.
Her lyrics have more sci-fi storylines and bizarre references than most Rush songs or Tolkien novels – but she isn’t prog-rock.
Her personal sense of style would make Tyra Banks do a double-take – but she is not a model.
So what the heck IS she?
In a world of musical criticism that thrives on the quantifiable, Janelle Monae is simply a conundrum. And that is why people can’t stop talking about her.
Thrivals and Idea Festival have teamed to let Louisville gain a little insight into the Atlanta-based artist by allowing her to perform tonight at Bomhard Theater, just one night after a national TV performance on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. (See the performance.)
Photo courtesy of Thrivals/Idea Festival
