After the release of Janelle Monáe‘s latest single, “PYNK“, wide speculation grew about her sexuality. It was inevitable that she would eventually address it in public. It was, therefore, rather appropriate that the topic was raised during a recent interview about Dirty Computer, Monáe’s latest album. Released today, it ushers a new era for the singer, characterised by an openness never before seen.
“Being a queer black woman in America”, she said, on the topic. “Someone who has been in relationships with both men and women – I consider myself to be a free-ass motherfucker.” She initially identified as bisexual, she clarifies, “but then later I read about pansexuality and was like, ‘Oh, these are things that I identify with too.’ I’m open to learning more about who I am.”
This admission of truth comes hot on the heels of a career that is full of an aesthetic that has always played to emphasising the singer’s androgynous look. “It had to do with the fear of being judged”, she says. “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.”
Dirty Computer is available for purchase now here.
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