Last week, Janelle Monáe announced that her first new album in five years was quite imminent. Dirty Computer, described by Monáe as an "emotion picture," will consist of both a narrative film and a "musical album." Thursday, the Women of Marwen star joined Zane Lowe to dissect this new chapter of her career and premiere a new track titled "Make Me Feel."
The new track was recorded at Monáe's own Wondaland Studios in Atlanta. "We had to keep it where it was funky," she told Lowe Thursday. "We were just up all night, you know, in the groove you know in the pocket. And one of the things that I love is that this song captures the fun that I love having in the studio. The freedom that I love having. The freedom that I talk about. I hope that it comes across as such that I was able to capture that freedom and that fearlessness about embracing your uniqueness and who you are and doing it with the people you love."
Listen to "Make Me Feel" and the Lowe chat below:
Dirty Computer, Monáe added, will give fans a "closer glimpse" into her heart and mind. "I'm going to be 100 percent honest," she told Lowe. "I'm scared. I'm actually terrified. I mean, yeah, it's such an honest body of work and I don't know how people are going to react to it, Zane. I really, I don't know. Just the thought of it is kind of freaking me out a little bit, but I feel like it's something that I need to do. It's something that I always knew I needed to do and it's going to happen. The album is going to happen. It’s coming. You know, all I can say is at least I've been very honest. That's all I can really do as an artist." The album features contributions from recent Grammy nominee Julia Michaels, whom Monáe loves "as a writer, as an artist."
Monáe also shared the Alan Ferguson-directed visual for "Make Me Feel" (which you can watch up top), as well as one for another new song titled "Django Jane," directed by Andrew Donoho, Chuck Lightning, and Lacey Duke.
Dirty Computer drops April 27.
