Janelle Monáe unveiled two new songs “Make Me Feel” and “Django Jane,” set to appear on her upcoming album, Dirty Computer, out April 27th. Both tracks arrived with music videos. Alan Ferguson directed the “Make Me Feel” clip and Andrew Donoho, Chuck Lighting and Lacey Duke co-directed “Django Jane.”
With “Make Me Feel,” Monáe unleashes another electric dance floor gem, blending snappy percussion, rumbling bass synths and a euphoric, Prince-inspired guitar line. The song’s colorful clip finds Monáe donning an array of fantastic costumes and tearing up a dank disco and several vibrant sets while belting ear-worm lines like, “It’s like I’m powerful with a little bit of tender/ An emotional, sexual bender/ Mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better/ There’s nothing better.”
On “Django Jane,” Monáe embraces a heavier hip-hop sound and unleashes a torrent of bars over a resonant piano loop and trap percussion. In the video, crown on her head, seated on a throne, Monáe spits a potent mix of clever punchlines – “Sassy, classy, Kool-Aid with the kale” – and ardent mantras: “Black girl magic, y’all can’t stand it/ Y’all can’t ban it, made out like a bandit.”
Dirty Computer is available to pre-order and marks Monáe’s first solo LP since 2013’s The Electric Lady. In 2015, she partnered with the artists on her Wondaland Records label to release a collaborative EP, Wondaland Presents: The Eephus. Monáe is also prepping a narrative film to accompany Dirty Computer, though a release date and title have yet-to-be announced.
