Glastonbury 2024: Watch Janelle Monáe channel Prince on ‘Make Me Feel’
During her performance at Glastonbury Festival on June 30th, Janelle Monáe supplied a flawless rendition of her famous Prince-inspired hit, ‘Make Me Feel’.
Monáe was a stand-out performer during a stacked final day of 2024’s edition of the iconic cultural celebration. 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.
A highlight of her set was undoubtedly ‘Make Me Feel’. The lead single from 2018’s Dirty Computer, it was a significant moment in Monáe’s career, as it marked a departure from her songwriting and production team of Nathaniel Irvin III and Roman GianArthur Irvin, and saw her pen it with Julia Michaels, Mattias Larsson, Robin Fredriksson, and Justin Tranter, instead. Furthermore, the track marked her return after a three-year absence.
A grooving blend of R&B and funk, with a distinctive electro twist, after it was released, Monáe faced criticism for supposedly ripping off the late Prince, who the song’s style evokes. However, she later revealed that he had actually worked with her on tracks for the record before he died in 2016, including ‘Make Me Feel’. It all made a lot of sense following the disclosure, and the connection to the ‘Purple Rain’ star has only further bolstered its position in her oeuvre.
Monáe was on fire on today, with ‘Make Me Feel’ a notable addition. Getting the audience moving to its ice-cool groove, choppy Prince-esque guitars, and potent chorus, the American musician’s voice was also excellent as she readied the audience for the ensuing Pyramid Stage acts, Burna Boy, and Sunday’s headliner, SZA.
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.
“It’s a celebratory song,” Monáe explained the meaning of ‘Make Me Feel’ to The Guardian in 2018. “I hope that comes across. That people feel more free, no matter where they are in their lives, that they feel celebrated.
She continued: “Because I’m about women’s empowerment. I’m about agency. I’m about being in control of your narrative and your body. That was personal for me to even talk about: to let people know you don’t own or control me and you will not use my image to defame or denounce other women.”
Friday’s headliner at Glastonbury was British pop star Dua Lipa, who was exuberant as she made a lifelong dream come true. Saturday’s headliner was Coldplay, as they amassed an enormous crowd in their fifth time topping the Pyramid Stage. Chris Martin and the band jumped across their many creative chapters, which even saw them bring on stage Back to the Future legend Michael J. Fox amid his long-term Parkinson’s battle.
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 Monae perform ‘Make Me Feel’ at Glastonbury below.
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