Janelle Monáe is so much more than headlines that often—especially recently—focus primarily on her sexuality. And this was before the world began celebrating Pride Month.
The Grammy Award–nominated singer admitted that was one of the reasons she hesitated to release her latest album, Dirty Computer, which explored her sexuality in-depth for the first time in her career.
Still, Monáe told ESSENCE on Monday before she celebrated her new limited edition Belvedere Vodka bottle that she doesn’t “get tired” of educating people about her identity because she knows the power she holds as a full human being.
“I should…always be proud to be all of me. My sexuality is just a part of me,” she explained further. “I’m also a Black woman. I’m also an artist. I’m also a daughter. I’m also a future mother, hopefully, and so I am a complete person and I’m not ashamed of any part of who I am.”
Future mother?
It’s a rare time that the thirtysomething reminds us that she’s just like us—a human (although we’re still in love with her android alter ego, Cindi Mayweather) and a woman pondering the next phase of life.
When asked if she feels the pressure to choose a life partner and create a family, Monáe rejects the notion with two powerful words.
“I’m timeless,” she said.
Monáe added, “That is what I am, and when the time is right it shall happen and I will have an incredible partner. I’m not concerned with that at all.”
For now, she’s focused on using her platform to “amplify” causes she cares about. It’s why she partnered with Belvedere to create a new limited edition bottle. Monáe celebrated the occasion with a party on Monday inside New York City’s The Shed, where her celebrity friends—including Jidenna, Chris Bosh and Dascha Polanco—joined her.
It’s all a part of Monáe and Belvedere’s campaign to create A Beautiful Future, promoting inclusivity. It kicked off earlier this year when the singer hosted a brunch in Los Angeles titled Fem the Future, which raised awareness for women’s opportunities in the arts.
“We are living in a world where folks who are deciding to live out loud are being persecuted. They’re being ostracized from communities. Some are even committing suicide because they don’t feel socially accepted and they die out of loneliness,” Monáe told ESSENCE.
And although the singer doesn’t want to speak “for the entire LGBTQI-plus community,” she does hope her efforts are simply encouraging people to live their their lives proudly.