“I now have a clone”

Janelle Monáe has teased a new album, joking that they now has a “clone” for music who has been hard at work in the studio. Watch our video interview with the artist and actor above.

Monáe, whose leading part as Helen Brand in the new Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery marks the latest in a long run of acclaimed acting roles, has not released a full album since 2018’s ‘Dirty Computer’. “Oh you’re really going to remind me of that?” she said to NME when the four-year wait was mentioned.

Asked about whether we’ll hear more new music soon, Monáe replied: “Actually, you will! You will get new music because I now have a clone. That clone does all of my music, and I have another clone for acting. I’m not going to tell you if it’s me or not. They’re in the studio right now!

Monáe continued: “I just feel so humbled and super, super blessed to be doing anything. Doing something like this, you don’t take it lightly.”

When Glass Onion co-star Daniel Craig was asked if he had a clone too, he replied: “I don’t know, maybe! If I do they’re not as useful as Janelle’s clone!”

Janelle Monae at the Met Gala 2022 CREDIT: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Speaking to NME about her new acting role, Monáe said that the “Number One rule” of Glass Onion was to be “entertaining”.

“This is a murder mystery whodunnit film that is meant to take people on a ride and an experience first,” said Monáe. “The other beautiful thing about it is because the characters are modernised, the audience members will take away from it who they are and what experience they know.

“I hadn’t done comedy. There are so many comedic moments in a specific tone that Rian has created. I think he’s been very innovative in this whodunnit space.”

Back in 2021, Monaé shared the song ‘Stronger’ from the soundtrack to Netflix show We The People, which was produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. She then released the protest song ‘Say Her Name (Hell You Talmbout)‘ – named after the social movement founded by Kimberlé Crenshaw that “called attention to the black women who have died at the hands of US police”. The track was also covered by David Byrne in his American Utopia live show.

In 2020, the singer released her first new music in two years with ‘Turntables’, a song featured on a forthcoming documentary about voter suppression.

In Monaé’s acting career, meanwhile, Monáe, starred in a new film called Antebellum, a thriller produced by the brains behind the Jordan Peele films Get Out and Us.  The singer also starred in series two of the Amazon Prime Video series Homecoming.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery arrives on Netflix on December 23. 

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