Janelle Monae

Janelle Monáe is one of the most celebrated artists of our time. An 8-time Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, producer, performer, and fashion icon, they are known worldwide for her inimitable style and visionary sound, which celebrates the spectrum of identity. Monáe’s album ‘Dirty Computer’ was nominated for two Grammy awards in the categories of ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Best Music Video’. As a humanitarian, her position as a co-chair for When We All Vote, and her Fem the Future initiative, empowering other female filmmakers inspires and empowers not only fellow creatives but society as a whole.

Monáe published her first book with HarperVoyager titled "The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories from Dirty Computer." Set against a totalitarian backdrop, the work explores different threads of liberation — queerness, race, gender plurality and love — and how they become tangled when we try to unravel and weave them into freedoms.

In fall 2020, Monáe released their latest single "Turntables" which they wrote for the documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy with Stacey Abrams. The song is meant to be an anthem and inspiration for Stacey and other activists fighting for civil rights and equality. In February 2021, “Turntables” was one of the 15 songs that received the honor of being included on 93rd Academy Awards® Shortlist for Original song.

Monáe recently wrapped production for Netflix’s Knives Out 2, alongside Daniel Craig, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn and Leslie Odom Jr. Monáe also headlined the dramatic thriller Antebellum from the acclaimed writing and directing team, Gerard Bush + Christopher Renz, which premiered on PVOD on September 18th, 2020 in the US and premiered in the UK on Friday, April 2, 2021 also on PVOD. Monáe can recently be seen in the Gloria Steinem biopic, The Glorias: A Life on the Road, as Dorothy Pitman Hughes. The film was released by Roadside Attractions on September 25th, 2020. In Spring 2020, Monáe starred in the second season of Amazon’s critically acclaimed series, "Homecoming," which was released in May 2020. Monáe was recently on the big screen in Kasi Lemmon’s Harriet (Cynthia Erivo) for Focus Features, and Monáe voices the role of the wise-cracking pound dog “Peg” and performs two original songs in Disney’s remake of Lady and the Tramp, in collaboration with their Wondaland Arts Society team.

In January 2021, Monáe officially announced their non-profit Fem The Future which aims to provide young women and girls with the resources and support they need to overcome the challenges associated with growing up in under-resourced communities of color and expand their world of opportunities by supporting and creating after-school and summer enrichment activities that increase exposure and access to a variety of careers.