Let the Vagina Have a Monologue: Exploring Persona in Janelle Monáe's Music"
Sarah Tobin, Michigan State University

My paper explores persona in Janelle Monáe's music by investigating the transformation of identity over her career. Monáe's first three albums (2007-2010) portray an android looking to liberate marginalized people. Upon the release of Dirty Computer (2018), Monáe sheds this android persona and prioritizes one of self-expression. Through a survey of literature, I examine the android in popular culture (Jordan 2016), its significance in feminist studies (Haraway 2004), and how Monáe uses it to deliver overt implications of racialized and gendered injustices (Yates-Richard 2021). I then present two analyses of her music videos: Tightrope (Feat. Big Boi) (2010) and Make Me Feel (2018). I apply a cross-domain analysis of the lyrics, music, and images using Lafrance and Burns' analytical model (2017). Building from BaileyShea (2014) and Maultsby (2015), I contend that the videos build toward celebratory anthems of underrecognized communities, thus allowing the personas to portray different levels of intimacy.