Janelle Monáe has long been an underground queer icon, playing with androgyny, club culture and a nebulous sexual identity that found her proclaiming her love for androids. That kind of label aversion is a major part of her music and is on full display in her new single, “QUEEN.”
The track, which features fellow R&B luminary Erykah Badu, name-drops plenty of terms from the drag queen dictionary and fully embraces the message of self-love and otherness that have fuelled some pretty great gay anthems. What I’m trying to say is, look forward to this playing non-stop during Toronto Pride.
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