Janelle Monáe says a time-travel trip to see David Bowie changed everything — now we are dying to know where she’s headed next
Janelle Monáe has always lived outside the bounds of time and genre — so when she says she once travelled back to the 1970s to see David Bowie live, it somehow makes perfect sense.
In a recent Rolling Stone “Musicians on Musicians” chat with Lucy Dacus, the 39-year-old ‘Phenomenal’ singer shared that she “traveled back into the 1970s” to see Bowie perform as Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars — a moment that shaped her entire artistic vision.
Without skipping a beat, Dacus asked for confirmation “You saw him?”
“I did,” Monáe said with a grin. “I traveled back into the 1970s and I saw him do Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, and it was incredible.”
Monáe said she was “backstage” when inspiration struck. “I was like, ‘This is what I want to do,’” she recalled. “So I jetted back to the 2000s and I was like, ‘I can have the musical, make the music, create the lyrics, and create community around transformation and being queer.’”
That idea of transformation has always been central to Monáe’s art – from her android alter ego Cindi Mayweather to her future-facing sound and visuals. “Let’s go outside the mundane and what people know us as every day,””she said. “Leave room to allow yourself to transform.”
@rollingstone @Janelle Monáe time traveled to see #davidbowie, she explains in a #MusiciansOnMusicians with @lucy dacus. #lucydacus #janellemonae #songwriting ♬ original sound – Rolling Stone
Monáe also said she feels deeply connected to the future. “I absolutely feel my DNA in the future,” she said. “And Cindi is that. We are helping each other.”
Fans online have completely embraced the story, flooding TikTok with comments like “If anyone can do it, it’s Janelle Monáe,” and “She’s been from the future this whole time.”
Whether it’s through time, sound, or identity, Monáe’s universe keeps expanding — and it’s one we’re all lucky to exist in.
