Janelle Monaé said she’s going to show more of herself in her art and not hide behind Cindi Mayweather, the android character that lives in her music. One of the first ways she’s doing that is by talking about her sexuality, which is something she hasn’t done in the past.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, the talented 32-year-old said she’s been in relationships with both sexes and doesn’t feel limited at all.
“Being a queer Black woman in America, someone who has been in relationships with both men and women, I consider myself to be a free-ass motherfu–ker,” she said.
At one time, Monaé described herself as bi-sexual but later decided the term didn’t quite fit. She also declined to confirm whether or not she’s in a relationship with the actress Tessa Thompson, who plays in a 45-minute film that accompanies the singer’s new album “Dirty Computer.”
“Later I read about pansexuality and was like, ‘Oh, these are things that I identify with too,” Monaé explained. “I’m open to learning more about who I am.”
The Kansas City native also said that she’s given clues about her sexuality in the past, like on the songs “Mushrooms & Roses” and “Q.U.E.E.N,” which both have a female love interest named Mary.
Later in the sit-down, Monaé explained why she often wore those black and white unisex outfits and stuck with the Cindi Mayweather character. In short, the singer said she never felt like the prototype R&B star and would use those things to shield herself from public scrutiny.
“It had to do with the fear of being judged,” she explained. “All I saw was that I was supposed to look a certain way coming into this industry, and I felt like I [didn’t] look like a stereotypical Black female artist.”
Monaé’s “Dirty Computer” album comes out on Friday (Apr. 27).