It's Janelle Monáe's world, we're simply living in it. The multi-talented musician and actress releases her fourth studio album, The Age of Pleasure, on June 9. Ahead of its release, Monáe has been readily embracing the hedonistic nature and theme of the album. They dropped a wild and sensual music video alongside their new single, "Lipstick Lover". Then she flashed the crowd at a bar where she was performing.
With social media going absolutely wild for their antics, Monáe reveled in the Dionysian Bacchanalia she had reduced Twitter too. "The TheyTriarchy has landed. 👑" the non-binary star wrote in one tweet. "Titties out for the next 15 years. 😝" they proclaimed in another. The Age Of Pleasure is set to be Monáe's first album since 2018's Dirty Computer, which peaked at #6 on the US charts.
Monáe also revealed the album art for The Art Of Pleasure. Photographed by Mason Rose, the cover sees a topless Monáe swimming through the legs of several individuals standing in a pool. The photo appears to have been shot on film and has a warm 70s glow that accentuates the era-appropriate title font. While only tangentially, the cover invokes a similar to Nirvana's cover for Nevermind.
However, Monáe bares all on the cover of the album. A censored version that pixelated their nipples was also released on social media to help with promotion. According to Monáe herself, the new album is meant to help usher in a new age in her life. "Listen, I’ve had my Age of Depression. I’ve had my Age of Anxiety. I’ve had my Age of Struggle. And again, it’s not like life is pleasurable every single day, but I think I have actively just sought out...How do I realize that right now, in this present moment, moments that we’ll never get back, this is where you need to find your pleasure?." In its own way, the newly-released album cover goes a long way to helping embody that ideal. Are you excited about The Age Of Pleasure? Let us know in the comments.
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