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Janelle Monáe review: a masterclass in progressive showbiz spectacle
The flawlessly classy US singer, actor – and so much more – unleashes costumes, speeches and body-positive party tunes in a virtuoso set spanning two decades of shapeshifting
Janelle Monáe arrives on stage two nights into a three-show residency at Factory International’s well-appointed new(ish) home resplendent in a giant robe made entirely from fabric flowers, paired with blooming boots and headdress. But this playful, frank display marks the vast distances travelled from Monáe’s severely buttoned-up presentation of a decade ago, when she resolved to upend expectations by showing precisely zero flesh, dressing retro and singing about android dystopias. The term multihyphenate is a little overused, but Monáe is no longer a fringe visionary with her own label-cum-creative salon, Wondaland, who raps, sings and dances – an almost-composite of Lauryn Hill, Janet Jackson, Erykah Badu and Lady Gaga, yet relentlessly original.
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