Last night at the Billboard Woman In Music Event, Janelle Monae received the Rising Star award.The event, which took place at Capitale in NYC, had a nice turnout of celebrities, including Pink who is the CoverGirl spokeswoman, WNBA start Skylar Diggins, and Soledad O’Brien.
Janelle spoke about accepting the award, and lets people know this is only the beginning: My journey is continuing. We’re not stopping or sitting back and reflecting or saying, “Hey, I’ve made it, I’ve arrived.” I’ve acknowledged it, and am acknowledging now, how encouraging it is to be recognized. This year, releasing “The Electric Lady” — which is deeply rooted in community and the female protagonist story of our community—has been such a great joy to be able to tell stories about these women—these unconventional, universal stories that don’t get talked about or discussed all the time.
I made sure that “The Electric Lady” had strong themes, so many walks of life. And now going out and performing the songs and looking at young girls in the audience being inspired by the album, to tour and know that these stories are really encouraging young girls—to know that they see themselves in the album, as a part of this movement—it’s a sign of success. I feel as though we’re continuing to try to be successful and being just that. Congrats to Janelle Monae on her big win!