Monae, Janelle: The Age Of Pleasure (Orange) LP

A groundbreaking, genre-blurring singer, songwriter, producer, and performer, Janelle Monáe's inventive style melds a refined pop sensibility with an extraordinary postmodern mash-up of soul, funk, and rock ‘n' roll. The Grammy Award-winner follows-up 2018's critically acclaimed Dirty Computers with the highly anticipated 2023 album The Age of Pleasure, which comes introduced by the shimmering singles "Float" and "Lipstick Lover." Monáe explained to Apple Music 1's Zane Lowe that, "All the songs were written from such an honest space. So I hope that people feel that when they listen to the music, that they feel that when they come and, you know, counter with me when I'm around, I definitely have had an opportunity to evolve and grow and to tap into the things that bring me pleasure, the things that perhaps I should rethink and rework." On the album's theme she adds, "I've had my age of depression. I've had my age of anxiety. I've had my age of struggle. And again, it's not like life is pleasurable every single day, but I think I have actively just sought out...How do I create a space for myself? How do I redirect my mind on how I'm thinking about things? How do I realize that right now in this present moment – moments that we'll never get back – this is where you need to find your pleasure?"