Janelle Monae Quotes

Powerful Janelle Monae for Daily Growth

About Janelle Monae

Janelle Monáe, born January 1, 1985, in Kansas City, Kansas, is an illustrious American singer-songwriter, actress, and model known for her unique blend of funk, R&B, and soul music. Her unconventional approach to artistry and eccentric style have earned her a significant place in contemporary pop culture. Raised by a pastor and a factory worker, Monáe's musical journey began at an early age when she started singing in church. Influenced by artists such as Prince, OutKast, and Jimi Hendrix, she developed her distinctive sound and fashion sense. After moving to Atlanta, Georgia, Monáe signed with local record label Wondaland Arts Society, where she released her critically acclaimed debut EP, 'Metropolis: The Chase Suite' (2007). Her breakthrough came with the release of her album 'The ArchAndroid' (2010), which explores themes of time travel, feminism, and sexuality through a science fiction narrative. Monáe's intricate storytelling in her music has earned her comparisons to artists like David Bowie and George Clinton. In 2016, she released her second studio album 'Dirty Computer,' which includes the hit single 'Make Me Feel.' The album delves deeper into Monáe's personal experiences and societal commentary. Aside from her music career, Monáe has acted in films such as 'Hidden Figures' (2016) and voiced characters in 'Rio 2' (2014) and 'Wonder Park' (2019). Monáe is also an active LGBTQ+ advocate and uses her platform to promote gender equality, social justice, and mental health awareness. In March 2021, she released 'Electric Lady,' a memoir chronicling her extraordinary life and career. With her innovative music, captivating performances, and powerful message, Janelle Monáe continues to push boundaries in the world of entertainment.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Be brave. Be bold."

The quote by Janelle Monáe, "Be brave. Be bold," encourages individuals to have courage and take significant actions, particularly when faced with challenges or opportunities that require daring or boldness. This inspiring phrase implores us to move beyond fear, self-doubt, and comfort zones in order to pursue our goals, dreams, and passions authentically and unapologetically. In essence, Monáe is urging us all to embrace bravery and boldness as essential qualities in living a life filled with purpose, growth, and impact.

"If you don't take risks, you'll have a warehouse full of 'almosts,' but no masterpieces."

This quote by Janelle Monáe emphasizes the importance of taking risks in life to achieve greatness. By avoiding risks, one accumulates numerous opportunities that never fully materialize (the "almosts"), rather than creating meaningful masterpieces or significant achievements. It encourages individuals to step out of their comfort zones and embrace uncertainty in pursuit of personal growth and remarkable accomplishments.

"I promise I will never stop fighting for freedom. Freedom for all. Love for all."

Janelle Monáe's quote emphasizes her unwavering commitment to advocating for individual and collective freedom, irrespective of personal differences. This includes promoting love, compassion, and equality among people from diverse backgrounds. It implies a vision where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and has the opportunity to live without fear or oppression. The quote underscores her powerful message of unity, justice, and human rights activism.

"When life gets hard, stand in your truth."

This quote by Janelle Monae underscores the importance of self-integrity and authenticity when faced with adversity. In difficult times, finding the courage to stay true to oneself – one's beliefs, values, and identity – can help maintain inner strength and resilience. By standing in your truth, you remain grounded amidst life's challenges, allowing for personal growth and a more genuine response to hardships.

"It's important to be free and to liberate yourself from whatever is holding you back."

This quote by Janelle Monae emphasizes the importance of self-freedom and personal growth. It suggests that everyone should strive to break free from limitations, obstacles, or mentalities that hinder their personal development and happiness. In essence, this call to action encourages individuals to take control of their lives and pursue a life that is true to themselves, unlocking their fullest potential.

One of my core values is to help redefine what it means to be a strong and beautiful woman in the music and fashion worlds and to empower the wonderful things that make us unique.

- Janelle Monae

Strong, Woman, Means, Worlds

We don't all have to take the same coordinates to get to the same destination. Being a young African American female artist, I want to open doors for young black girls.

- Janelle Monae

Artist, Young, Want, African American

I have a great body, I really do. But I want to be taken seriously as an artist, and wearing anything that shows it off will be a distraction from the music. That's how my signature uniform, my tuxedo, came about. It's classic and timeless. You'll see me in black, white, and a pop of color on my lips. That pop adds a little magic.

- Janelle Monae

Color, Magic, Artist, Tuxedo

I have worn a tuxedo, but I have never covered up for respectability politics or to shame other women.

- Janelle Monae

Politics, Shame, Never, Tuxedo

I always carry my classic black-and-white tux and custom-made George Esquivel saddle shoes.

- Janelle Monae

Classic, Always, George, Saddle

Lauryn Hill, P-Funk, Marvin Gaye, Public Enemy - I have a very diverse palate for music. I can go from Judy Garland to Jimi Hendrix to Stevie Wonder to Rachmaninoff. I just love great music.

- Janelle Monae

Love, Very, Great Music, Stevie

When I was growing up, both my grandmothers would play the organ, and we would all sing.

- Janelle Monae

Play, Organ, Both, Grandmothers

I'm a believer that the more I'm giving, the happier I am, and the more beautiful my exterior will be.

- Janelle Monae

Beautiful, I Am, Happier, Believer

Donald Trump is trying to build a wall. I'm trying to burn walls down and build more bridges.

- Janelle Monae

Burn, Trump, Donald, Bridges

I've never viewed myself as 'just' a musician or singer.

- Janelle Monae

Never, Singer, Viewed, Musician

I have not lost any of my crazy, fearless, raw, soulful, eclectic side and I plan on continuing to tell universal stories in an unforgettable way.

- Janelle Monae

Fearless, Side, Stories, Raw

I always think about the next generation and creating a different blueprint for them. That's my goal: to let them know there's another way.

- Janelle Monae

Generation, Next, Always, Another Way

It's unfortunate that a lot of people think African-American female artists are monolithically R&B this-or-that, don't have to do anything by default.

- Janelle Monae

People, Think, Unfortunate, African-American

I listen to Prince on my iPad. And I use a Chords & Scales app to warm up before performing.

- Janelle Monae

Before, Use, App, Scales

I'll refer to my music in color, like 'This song needs to be bright red.'

- Janelle Monae

Red, Song, Needs, Refer

I love men. But evil men? I will not tolerate that. You don't deserve to be in my presence. If you're going to rule this world, I am not going to contribute anymore until you change it.

- Janelle Monae

Love, Deserve, Will, Tolerate

I've gotten scripts over the years, but I believe it was the stories of 'Moonlight' and 'Hidden Figures' that really touched my heart and aligned with the messages that I felt were extremely important to me.

- Janelle Monae

Over, Touched, Stories, Scripts

I take goldenseal, Echinacea and cod liver oil when flying to boost my immune system.

- Janelle Monae

Liver, Immune, Take, Boost

Becoming a CoverGirl is truly an honor and a gift. It opens up a new platform for me to inspire women to feel stronger, braver and more beautiful inside and out.

- Janelle Monae

Gift, New, Becoming, Braver

People in my family and camp who grew up listening to rap music love 'We Are Young.' I've heard it play at weddings. I've heard it in graduation parties. It's a big idea and big song.

- Janelle Monae

Love, Play, Big, Camp

I've been very blessed to have worked with two incredible directors - Barry Jenkins on 'Moonlight' and Ted Melfi on 'Hidden Figures' - and it was a collaborative effort in shaping my characters, Teresa and Mary.

- Janelle Monae

Moonlight, Been, Very, Shaping

I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's when I realized that I could actually go away.

- Janelle Monae

Think, Allow, Given, Sit

I won't sit here and say I've never had a pimple, but I try to have a really great diet, you know, lots of vegetables and fish. And I think stress plays a huge part too.

- Janelle Monae

Here, I Think, Part, Sit

I was constantly involved in music and theatre all through middle school and high school.

- Janelle Monae

Theatre, Through, High, Middle School

I will never stop making music.

- Janelle Monae

Music, Never, Making, Never Stop

I believe it's time that women truly owned their superpowers and used their beauty and strength to change the world around them.

- Janelle Monae

Change, Beauty, Superpowers, Change The World

I enjoy how women dressed in the 1920s with the shimmering jewels and rich feathers.

- Janelle Monae

Feathers, How, 1920s, Jewels

I believe that imagination inspires nations. It's something that I live by.

- Janelle Monae

Inspires, I Believe That, I Believe

When I got into the music industry, I wasn't focused on being the most famous artist or even getting a major record deal. It was just to make music on my own terms or create my own image, do my own hair, do my own makeup.

- Janelle Monae

Makeup, Artist, Deal, Record Deal

Honestly, I don't believe in menswear. I focus on what pieces are most timeless, transcendent, match my lifestyle, remain remarkable, and command intriguing attention across the room at an art gallery.

- Janelle Monae

Art, Honestly, Remain, Timeless

I'm inspired by the words: 'electrifying', 'epic', 'minimalistic', 'transcendent', 'timeless' and 'rock n' roll.'

- Janelle Monae

Words, Rock, Rock N Roll, Timeless

Maybe I'm outdated in thinking this, but because I'm a young black woman and don't see very many being the lead in a film, I have this fear: 'Will I be working?'

- Janelle Monae

Woman, Maybe, Very, Outdated

One of my mantras is, 'Embrace what makes you unique, even if it makes others uncomfortable.' I keep that with me in my back pocket. Shoot, I keep it in my front pocket! I keep it in my hair.

- Janelle Monae

Embrace, Back, Makes, Shoot

Black history is part of American history, and it should be treated as such.

- Janelle Monae

Black History, Treated, Part, American History

I don't do a lot of collaborations that I don't believe in. Actually, I don't do any collaborations that I don't believe in.

- Janelle Monae

Believe, Lot, Actually, Collaborations

Music is an art form that I love dearly, and it's allowed me to bring so many people together and meet so many people.

- Janelle Monae

Love, Art, Allowed, So Many People

I'm a storyteller who wants to tell untold, meaningful, universal stories in unforgettable ways. I want to do it all, study it all, and find my place in it.

- Janelle Monae

Study, Tell, Stories, Universal

I have mentors like Erykah Badu. She's been like a big sister to me.

- Janelle Monae

She, Big, Been, Sister

When I first started in this industry, my goal was to be some best friend. The sidekick. I thought that would be an accomplishment.

- Janelle Monae

Goal, Thought, Some, Accomplishment

I wouldn't be as comfortable with who I am if it had not been for Prince. I mean, my label 'Wondaland' would not exist without 'Paisley Park' coming before us.

- Janelle Monae

Been, Before, Had, Park

I've cried over string arrangements.

- Janelle Monae

String, Over, Arrangements, Cried

I spend a lot of time in the future, But to help the future, sometimes you got to go back to the past, and sometimes you got to stay in the present.

- Janelle Monae

Past, Sometimes, Go, Present

Some songs you get. Some songs you may not. And I think that's the beauty of art: to question and to ask, to understand the deeper meaning after two or three or four listenings.

- Janelle Monae

Art, Think, Some, Deeper

I love Fun. They're great guys. They're incredible artists and musicians.

- Janelle Monae

Love, Artists, I Love, Guys

I had a strong visceral reaction to the 'Moonlight' script, partly because I felt I knew all of these characters.

- Janelle Monae

Strong, Reaction, Visceral, Partly

You are only as beautiful as the many beautiful things you do for others without expectation.

- Janelle Monae

Beautiful, Only, Things, Beautiful Things

Children go with whatever makes them feel good - like if that's the color green or orange, they do that with their clothes. As I've grown older, everything reversed. My music, my personality - onstage those things became my colors.

- Janelle Monae

Color, Feel, Became, Older

I feel myself becoming the fearless person I have dreamt of being. Have I arrived? No. But I'm constantly evolving and challenging myself to be unafraid to make mistakes.

- Janelle Monae

Myself, Fearless, Becoming, Evolving

I don't even know at what age I started, because it's always been there. Performing... creating... it's in my DNA.

- Janelle Monae

Always, Performing, Been, DNA

It's a big universe. To stay in one tiny place is doing a disservice to yourself.

- Janelle Monae

Doing, Universe, Big, Tiny

I'm about women's empowerment. I'm about agency. I'm about being in control of your narrative and your body.

- Janelle Monae

Empowerment, Narrative, Agency

My grandmother was the matriarch. If you didn't have a place to stay, if you needed food, if you were just coming out of jail or rehab, you went to her. Watching her in our family and our wider community was what inspired me and still does.

- Janelle Monae

Rehab, Needed, Wider, Jail

I know what I like; if you go to my closet, I have at least four of everything.

- Janelle Monae

Go, Like, Least, Four

My message is that I want to reach the people - the people who work each and every day.

- Janelle Monae

Work, Every Day, Reach, Message

I love the mystery behind things.

- Janelle Monae

Love, Behind, I Love, Mystery

I'm attracted to things that scare me, like 'Psycho,' my favorite Hitchcock movie.

- Janelle Monae

Scare, Movie, Like, Attracted

Everything is about balance. You can't work, work, work, work without any play.

- Janelle Monae

Work, Play, About, Balance

There are months when I'm on a plane every day!

- Janelle Monae

Every Day, Months, Every, Plane

Once you find what you like, it's like it worked yesterday, it works today, it'll work tomorrow.

- Janelle Monae

Yesterday, Worked, Works, Tomorrow

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