Janelle Monáe claims she time-travelled to see David Bowie perform in the 1970s
Janelle Monáe has claimed that she time-travelled to see David Bowie perform in the 1970s.
During a new edition of Musicians of Musicians with Lucy Dacus for Rolling Stone, Monáe casually said, “I think when I saw David Bowie”. Naturally, Dacus inquisitively asked for clarification, stating, “You saw him?”
In response, Monáe insisted, “I did.” The singer then elaborated, “I travelled back into the 1970s, and I saw him do Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. It was incredible.”
Monáe then said that she was also “backstage” at the concert, before time-travelling again to take lessons from the show into her own artistry, adding, “I was like, this is what I want to do. I jetted back to the 2000s.”
The ‘Make Me Feel‘ singer continued, “I was like, I can have the musical, make the music, create the lyrics, and create community around transformation and being queer — not even just in sexuality, but in how we see the world.”
Monáe has previously spoken at length about how Bowie had a transformative impact on her career, especially his era as Ziggy Stardust in the ’70s.
During an interview in 2018, she singled out ‘Moonage Daydream’, which appeared on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in 1972, as her favourite Bowie song.
“Bowie has been a huge inspiration to me with regard to creating concept albums, new worlds, and alter egos,” she said. “When I heard this song for the first time, it took my music tastes to another level; I wanted my own writing to be just as interesting and clever.”
Monáe continued, “I once performed a cover of ‘Moonage Daydream’ with one of my favourite bands, Of Montreal. The song remains a source of inspiration for me.”
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