Janelle Monáe has declared openly about the elations of going topless while posing nude for the cover of Rolling Stone.
In Rolling Stone’s June 2023 issue, Monáe uttered about the freedom she feels when she bares her skin. The 37-year-old vocalist, who’s non-binary and uses they/she pronouns, clarified that being nude has become a “big theme” in her life as she celebrates her “new era of liberation”.
“I’m much happier when my titties are out and I can run around free,” the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery actress mentioned .
Monáe, whose fourth studio album The Age of Pleasure drops on 9 June, shared a behind-the-scenes video from the nude photo shoot on Instagram on 22 May. The “Lipstick Lover” singer appeared on the magazine cover wearing nothing but a gold chain headpiece, as she covered her breasts with her hands.
Fans and friends of the Grammy Award nominee took to the comments section to applaud Monáe for posing topless. “EVERYTHING,” wrote crooner SZA, along with a red heart eye emoji.
“In love,” said artist Chloe Bailey, while one fan wrote: “Now THAT’S how you do a COVER.”
This isn’t the first time Janelle Monáe has shown off their skin. The Moonlight actor was featured topless in the NSFW music video for their new single, “Lipstick Lover”, off their upcoming album. Earlier this month, Monáe unveiled the cover art for The Age of Pleasure, which sees the singer swimming topless underwater.
The Hidden Figures movie star has also exhibited several daring fashion looks on the red carpet over the past year. At the 2023 Met Gala, Monáe arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City wearing a custom black-and-white Thom Browne coat – only to peel off the jacket and reveal a black bikini and sheer petticoat underneath.
Despite her unapologetic red carpet-looks, Monáe previously called out a fan for commenting on some of her fashion moments. Last February, she attended the 2023 Grammys in Los Angeles wearing a black strapless dress with a plunging neckline and opera-length gloves. While praising the elegant look, one of Monae’s fans also poked fun at the “Dirty Computer’ singer’s previous wardrobe choices in the process.
“Janelle Monae finally showing off how fine she is instead of dressing like the monopoly man,” they tweeted. Monae, noticing how many like the tweet was receiving, jokingly replied: “No new music just for this.”
