Janelle Monae

I wouldn't be as comfortable with who I am if it had not been for Prince. I mean, my label 'Wondaland' would not exist without 'Paisley Park' coming before us.

When I was growing up, both my grandmothers would play the organ, and we would all sing.

I'm about women's empowerment. I'm about agency. I'm about being in control of your narrative and your body.

It's unfortunate that a lot of people think African-American female artists are monolithically R&B this-or-that, don't have to do anything by default.

I spend a lot of time in the future, But to help the future, sometimes you got to go back to the past, and sometimes you got to stay in the present.

I always think about the next generation and creating a different blueprint for them. That's my goal: to let them know there's another way.

When I first started in this industry, my goal was to be some best friend. The sidekick. I thought that would be an accomplishment.

I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's when I realized that I could actually go away.

I'm a storyteller who wants to tell untold, meaningful, universal stories in unforgettable ways. I want to do it all, study it all, and find my place in it.

It's a big universe. To stay in one tiny place is doing a disservice to yourself.

One of my mantras is, 'Embrace what makes you unique, even if it makes others uncomfortable.' I keep that with me in my back pocket. Shoot, I keep it in my front pocket! I keep it in my hair.

We don't all have to take the same coordinates to get to the same destination. Being a young African American female artist, I want to open doors for young black girls.