Janelle Monae performed at Nokia Music’s Social Media Week event Tuesday night (Sept. 25) in Los Angeles, and sat down to chat with Billboard about her upcoming album, Nokia, and what it’s like to be a CoverGirl.
“I’m really excited about releasing new music and it’s going really well and I’ve grown a lot as a writer, as a singer, as an artist,” Monae said before taking the stage with Big Boi at the Nokia L.A. Live event. “Music unites and is really uplifting and empowering and I just pray and hope that people are inspired by the new material.”
Her upcoming album, the follow-up to 2010’s “The ArchAndroid,” pairs Monae with the same team — Wondaland Studios and Wondaland Arts Society — that produced her previous set.
Janelle Monae Named the New Face of CoverGirl
In August, the 26-year-old singer was chosen as a spokesperson for CoverGirl, and her first print ads hit newsstands later that month. “I am absolutely honored to be a CoverGirl,” Monae told Billboard. “I am really honored to work with a brand that believes in individuality and that really does focus on inner beauty as well as outer beauty.”
She added, “I just pray that I’m able to help redefine what it means to be a young woman in the music and the fashion worlds.”
Following her L.A. set, Monae headed to Chicago, where she will be taking the stage with Prince tonight (Sept. 26) during his “Welcome 2 Chicago” show. Watch the full video Q&A above.
Reporting by Justino Aguila.