Janelle Monáe’s favourite David Bowie song
What makes Janelle Monáe one of her generation’s most influential and important artists? Sure, her accolades indicate her relevance, but her place within music and why she has been so essential to it goes much further than that. Her voice, understanding of sound, and fearlessness in tackling different themes laid the groundwork for many artists who came after her and set the groundwork for the more genre-less world we live in today.
Monáe has been performing ever since she was a child and landed her big break in 2005 when Big Boi asked her to sing on some Outkast songs. After that, she was signed to Diddy’s label because of her stand-out vocal performance and energetic stage show.
Instead of relying on these two key components to fuel her career, Monáe has never been scared to explore various themes throughout her sound, making everything she works on exciting and innovative, never allowing herself to be pigeonholed into one style. Her blend of influences from R&B, pop and soul, paired with her ability to write about social activism and futuristic themes, makes hers one of the most relevant and essential careers in recent decades.
This willingness to explore different themes comes from how varied the musicians that shaped her are. During an interview, when asked to name four of her favourite songs that she considers the most important throughout her career, Monáe varied from rock to rap to soul, as she called Lauryn Hill, Stevie Wonder and Prince significant influences. One of her all-time favourite artists, though, who she has since gone on to cover in her professional career, is David Bowie.
Bowie has been an influence on many people. He was always incredibly versatile in his approach to sound and style, and many artists, utterly different to one another, cite him as an influence, referencing various points throughout his career. For Monáe, it was the Ziggy Stardust period that spoke to her, and the one song in particular that she still holds close and considers her favourite is ‘Moonage Daydream’.
“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. 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.”
Bowie’s originality as an artist shines through in Janelle Monáe’s music. Her influence will likely mimic his, as his versatility as an artist has since influenced so many musicians, and it will be the same for the next generation when looking up to Monáe and her varying body of work.
