Janelle Monae has kept fans on their toes, waiting for whether her next project is a movie or an album, but it seems like she has finally made time to hit the studio this time around.
Four years after the release of her debut studio album, "Dirty Computer," Monae is finally coming back to the music scene with her sophomore album.
The singer-turned-actress confirmed the exciting news during her interview as she promoted her new movie, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," where she stars alongside Daniel Craig.
When asked if she was making time for the recording studio, Monae said, "Oh you're really going to remind me of that?"
While Monae confirmed her next album is coming soon, she joked about how she managed to work around her busy schedule to go and record music while she worked on movie after movie.
"Actually, you will! You will get new music because I now have a clone," Monae joked.
"That clone does all of my music, and I have another clone for acting. I'm not going to tell you if it's me or not. They're in the studio right now!"
Although many know her for her roles in critically-acclaimed movies like "Hidden Figures" and "Moonlight," Monae first rose to prominence in the music scene.
"I just feel so humbled and super, super blessed to be doing anything. Doing something like this, you don't take it lightly," she told NME.
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Dirty Computer's Successor
Although Monae did not explicitly say, the reason behind the gap between her albums might be attributed to her mental struggles after releasing "Dirty Computer."
Her debut album was written and recorded during a time when the political climate in the US was difficult because of former President Donald Trump.
"It was one of the first times I felt very afraid. There was a lot going on in the country during that time and I didn't know if this was going to embolden them, at the time, to do something to people like me who were speaking out against racism and sexism and xenophobia and Islamophobia, and everything that they represent. I just didn't know," she said in an interview.
"So I started to just have anxiety attacks about it, and I'm thankful I didn't let that stop me, because I think what that album represented, especially one of my songs, 'Americans', ... deals with that. It deals with how I'm not going to back down and we're not going to back down and become silent and quiet and watch this president tear this country apart and tear down the people that helped build this country," she continued.
"My ancestors built this country. They helped build the White House. And so that just says: I'm American and you will never take that away from me. And we're not running, we're not hiding. We're not allowing you to dominate us."
While there is no definitive date when the successor album of "Dirty Computer" will arrive, many wonder if the theme and concept will echo today's struggles in society again.
