Janelle Monae Danced All Over Letterman’s Desk Last Night
Monae’s new album, Electric Lady, is out in stores and available for streaming on Spotify today. Letterman here calls her the “hardest-working woman in show business, which was nice of him, considering what she did to his desk while performing “Dance Apocalyptic” last night. (Over at Jimmy Fallon, Kanye and Charlie Wilson performed “Bound 2,” and it was phenomenal. Not a bad night for late night music.) If you need more Monae in your life, go read Hairpin pal Carrie Battan’s Pitchfork feature on her and her Wondaland Arts Society, which includes this excellent detail:
The following afternoon, the 27-year-old is back to work, rehearsing for a performance of “Q.U.E.E.N.”, her Electric Lady duet with Erykah Badu, at this year’s BET Awards. She has to cram because her appearance on the show was booked at the last minute, only after Prince himself phoned BET President of Programming Stephen Hill directly and demanded Monáe be added to the lineup. Hill placed her as the closing act. Prince, who makes a rare guest appearance on the new album, has been a supporter since Monáe’s debut Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase) EP in 2007: After her first show in L.A., he circled the venue in his car and asked her to hop in when she came outside.
When I was like eight years old I got hit by a car and the driver wanted to drive me to the hospital. I told him I couldn’t take rides from strangers. I guess I’d make an exception for Prince.