Glastonbury 2024: Janelle Monáe urges fans to support “marginalised people” and “fightback against genocide”
As she took to the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival to deliver a memorable set, Janelle Monáe also shared a powerful speech that was more vital than any song.
Glastonbury weekend has been full of artists making political messages. Whether this was Damon Albarn expressing his support for the people of Palestine during his surprise appearance with Bombay Bicycle Club, or Yard Act’s James Smith, who used their platform on the Woodsies Stage to speak for those without a voice.
Smith told the crowd on June 29th: “To the people of Ukraine, to the people of Sudan, to the people of Palestine, and anybody else fighting for their liberation, fearing for their lives, who does not have what we have right now, we stand with them, because, Glastonbury, the lines on the maps don’t exist, they were drawn on by a few greedy men. We can transcend those borders.”
On a similar note, towards the end of her emphatic set at Worthy Farm, Monáe took a moment’s rest from serving up bangers, to spread a message of peace and positivity amid rising hate crimes across the world.
The singer began by saying: “Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart if you supported me. The one thing I want to mention is that we have the best community, it’s not because we look the coolest or are the coolest, but it’s the way that we protect other marginalised people. I’m looking at all these flags and it’s clear that we are going to protect us. No politician, but we the people will have to show up.”
Monáe, who identifies as pansexual and non-binary, added: “I’m proud this Pride month to stand with you as you fightback against genocide, as you fightback against the criminalisation of homeless people, as you bring in laws to protect our bodies. Our body, our choice. As you fight for those laws to be protected, as you fight to protect our babies and innocent people in Gaza. As you fight to protect our babies and innocent people in Sudan, the Congo. As you stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters against antisemitism, as you stand with our Muslim brothers and sisters against Islamophobia.”
She concluded by projecting from the heart: “We protect the LGBTQI rights, we protect Black history in schools, we protect the poor. These are our people, and we know injustice, we know it, so when we see it, we need to keep calling it out.”
Taking to the Pyramid Stage at 5:45pm, she played a career-spanning set for an hour, which featured other hits such as ‘Pynk’ and, and ‘Lipstick Lover’ from her most recent album, 2023’s The Age of Pleasure.
Despite having a relatively small crowd, due to clashing with Avril Lavigne and England’s football match at the European Championship, Monáe put on an impressive show, showing why she was deserving of high billing on the Pyramid Stage.
Elsewhere, during a festival that has brimmed with political sentiment, The Last Dinner Party vocalist Abigail Morris urged fans to have “some fucking empathy” ahead of the General Election on July 4th.
Watch Janelle Monáe’s powerful speech below.
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