Janelle Monáe: I Come in Peace, But I Mean Business
Janelle Monáe is all about movement when it comes to her music.
The "Electric Lady" singer stopped by The Breakfast Club recently with Wondaland Records signee, Jidenna to talk about her new label, his new video and whether or not she treats her artists well.
"I've always had my imprint but we didn't have distribution and so once I felt like there was a void in having female business people who know talent when they see it, able to see visionary artists and see something remarkable like Jidenna, I wanted to be sure that I was the one leading the way for that," she said of her decision to add "entrepreneur" to her personal roster of titles.
Monáe and L.A. Reid announced the launch of Wondaland, in partnership with Epic, last month. She's one of the few Black women to own a major label subsidiary. Jidenna's "Classic Man" was the first video to release via the new deal.
"A 'Classic Man' is a man who carries himself with dignity, a certain amount of poise, discretion, excellent taste ... a lot of the OGs I grew up admiring really held themselves in a certain regard," Jidenna explained of the single's throwback feel.
The imprint plans to officially release the song via an EP, Eephus, this year. "It's a game-changer," Monáe noted. Music from Wondaland's other artists, Roman Gianarthur, St. Beauty, Deep Cotton and herself, will also appear on the project.
As far as her own career as a singer goes, is she worried that being a label boss is detracting? "No," Monáe said emphatically. "I can't do it alone ... I come in peace, but I mean business."
Check the video below to see what else the two had to say about Jidenna's "finger curl," yoga and more.
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(Photo: 105.1BreakfastClub via YouTube.com)
