Janelle Monáe Rates Astrology, Grace Jones, and Karaoke

(lively drum music)

Karaoke is overrated.

Yeah, I would say it's overrated,

because when you are like an artist, for me,

they expect for me to continue to keep doing it

all day, all night.

They're like, all right, sing this song.

Janelle's in the room, she's a singer.

Sing this, and I'm like, I just came here for the drinks.

I came here, you know to laugh with you all.

Like, I'm off work.

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That was like the only thing

that I ate for a really long time,

when I was living in a boarding house with six other girls

on Parson Street in Atlanta, Georgia,

selling my CDs out of my Mitsubishi Galant.

Without Top Roman, or Ramen, excuse me,

you cannot say Roman, it's Ramen,

I don't think I would have had the energy to create music.

So, actually Top Ramen

is the reason why I'm sitting here today.

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I'm gonna always say that Grace Jones is underrated.

I know I say that Grace Jones, her own race,

is like she is a beautiful, black woman, and she

has redefined what it means to be a black woman

in the entertainment industry.

For me, she let me know that I can be as wild,

as fearless, as free as I wanna be, unapologetically.

Grace Jones is that fucking cool to me.

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Onions are so overrated!

When I was probably eight years old

I went over to my cousin's house and I thought

that I was eating a shaved, peeled, skinless apple.

It went down the, finished watching cartoons,

and she came back with what I thought was apples,

and bit into it, and what was it?

A raw-ass onion.

I have never been the same since.

Overrated.

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How do I feel about talking to people on airplanes?

(swallows hard)

Can someone get me some water, please?

Listen, I love people.

I love people.

I love conversations.

I love learning about people.

I love telling people about me.

We have to get, what do you call that, airplane etiquette,

'til you know, so you catch the signs.

But just know that some of us don't get any sleep.

Some of us are coming from photo shoot to photo shoot.

We love you.

We might not wanna talk.

We can hug.

In fact, maybe we can lay on each other.

But, let's not talk all the time.

(drum roll)

(laughing)

Is that because

of my little oink oinks back here?

Pigtails, in my opinion, are good for any age.

They just immediately remind you

of what it means to be in the presence

of the greatest hairstyle of all time, pigtails.

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I think sometimes astrology can be a little overrated,

because people really play into their astrology.

I'm not gonna say all people,

but I have friends who just are like they can meet somebody.

I'm like, meet Sarah,

and then Sarah will say something or do something.

What's your sign?

And she says it, she's like, they're like,

I knew it, I knew you were a Sagittarius, you're a Gemini.

Yeah, I knew it, and I'm like, no you didn't.

You didn't know that until she told you.

(drum roll)

First of all I used to work at Office Depot.

I got fired from Office Depot.

The reason why I got fired from Office Depot

is because I was responding

to one of my three fans at the time.

I didn't have a computer.

I couldn't afford a computer,

and Office Depot, hello,

you all got like 100 display computers,

and so nobody was there, and I just went on, logged on

to my website at the time, that I just got made.

Office depot saw me on the little camera,

and they were like, Janelle,

Janelle to the back of the store please.

My boss set me down.

It wasn't the first time that happened.

(laughs)

So, to his, you know, to his credit,

I think he had the right to do what he did,

but he knew that I wanted to be an artist.

He knew that's where my heart was.

I don't think if he would have not fired me,

I would not have really

gone full speed ahead with my career,

and took what it was that I was doing from just a side gig

to my main purpose and main job.

So, Office Depot is also

another reason why I'm sitting here today.

Thank you, Office Depot.

I'll pick up some pens tomorrow.

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