Janelle Monáe and the girls just sittin’ by the pool, awaiting their “Lipstick Lover”

Janelle’s post Dirty Computer single “Float” kinda came and went without a trace. Which was strange given that it released at a time when Glass Onion was still a conversation and doing the rounds. But its follow-up “Lipstick Lover” had everybody talking, before the song had even released, because of THIS video Janelle posted teasing it. Then the video dropped and Janelle trended on Twitter immediately. And it’s not hard to see why.

The video shows so much ass and titties, that it’s age restricted on YouTube.

I’m not a huge fan of this song. If it came on whilst I was in the club, I would absolute give a lil’ slow whine and a two step to it. But I can’t see myself voluntarily listening to it. I’m not a fan of the video either, but this has nothing to do with how gratuitous, queer as hell and titty-centric it is. I’m just not a big fan of these home-made types of videos, where you’re just a fly on the wall. And in this instance I got bored really quickly of seeing the same thing for three and half minutes. The best part of the video was Janelle getting dragged across the floor, because it was such a cool shot. I would have liked more moments like that in the video - where there was a sense of Jane in queer Wondaland, which I think was kinda what they were going for. I dunno.

Side note. The music video for “Lipstick Lover” was co-directed by Solange’s ex husband, Alan Ferguson.

Now, I’ve been a fan of Janelle ever since they were dressing like Colonel Sanders with a pompadour. And it has been so amazing to see their fashion and the way they choose to present themselves change as a result of their personal evolution. And we started to see this with The Electric Lady. Slightly different hair. Different types of outfits. But there was still that Janelle Monáe quirk to everything. The black, white and red. The bold silhouettes. The playfulness. The character. All things which really came to a head with Dirty Computer, which was very much Janelle making a clear declaration of who they were and making it unapologetically. So, to see Janelle push this further with “Lipstick Lover”, it’s awesome.

Janelle Monáe - Lipstick Lover | Directed by by Janelle Monáe & Alan Ferguson | © Wondaland Productions

People seem to think that Janelle always dressing in suits was a commentary on women covering up, which it never was. Janelle had always been open about their outfits being a form of uniform for them. And now in retrospect you can see it was also a form of armour. If Janelle stuck to that and made it their brand, then not only was it easy for them, but it placed a focus on their music, and not who or what they were or were not. Janelle’s style was a form of protection, projection on what they felt women should be. So seeing some backlash for them now choosing to express their sexuality, sensuality and their body is strange. Especially as it’s not entirely new. We got a taste of it on Dirty Computer. And for years Janelle has been posting videos and photos of themselves with their titties out and frolicking with women. Y’all just weren’t paying attention.

HENNYWAY.

I’m glad that Janelle is back in this music thing again, because I thought we may have lost them to movies. Janelle becoming a movie star is the real shock for me over the titties. I never saw it coming. Although I don’t know how I didn’t, given how narrative driven and cinematic The ArchAndroid and The Electric Lady were.

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💿Album reviews: Dirty Computer | The Electric Lady | The ArchAndroid | Metropolis: The Chase