Janelle Monáe is getting ready to hit the road. The singer and “Knives Out: Glass Onion” actor will embark on a North American tour shortly after releasing her next album, “The Age of Pleasure.” The project is due June 9. The Age of Pleasure Tour will kick off August 30 and is expected to wrap up on October 18. The tour is set to cover 26 U.S. and Canadian cities including Chicago, Brooklyn, Atlanta and Portland.
A Project About Community
Monáe’s upcoming sonic project is all about community and queer expression. During an interview for her Rolling Stone cover story, the singer shared that the pandemic allowed her to find meaning and pleasure in her community. That inspired the theme of her project.
“[I]t’s beautiful that I have a title called ‘The Age of Pleasure’ because it actually re-centers me. It’s not about an album anymore. I’ve changed my whole f— lifestyle,” she told Rolling Stone.
“The Age of Pleasure” is a 14-track project. It is a follow-up to her last, highly experimental project, “Dirty Computer” released in 2018.
On Sexuality and Sensuality
In the weeks leading up to Monáe’s Rolling Stone cover, Monáe posted a video of her showing her breasts during a performance. Monáe also shared snippets of the official music video to “Lipstick Lover” one of the lead singles off “The Age of Pleasure”. The visuals for the song include shots of Monae emerging from a swimming pool in a see-through wet T-shirt. She also dives into the pool topless through a tunnel of legs.
These video stirred up conversations. Many found Monáe’s queer expression surprising. Others thought riveting. And some, who had followed har career closely, weren’t at all shocked by her latest artistic expression. Monáe came out in 2018 and shared that she identifies as nonbinary last year. For years she has been openly expressive about her sexuality and sensuality.
In her interview with Rolling Stone, she pointed out, “Even when I was really, really wearing only suits…I was either in a suit, or you would find me at my own parties naked. It was no in-between.”