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 [4]. She is turning heads everywhere from Rolling Stone to Sound Opinions [5]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 [6] 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 [7].)
Photo courtesy of Thrivals/Idea Festival