Rising R&B star Janelle Monáe has released her PrimeTime video, and critics and fans are loving it. Monáe is joined by recording artist Miguel in the video, which is a love story with a sci-fi flavor. The star provides a plot summary of PrimeTime on her YouTube channel:
“PrimeTime is a love story based on the early adventures of Cindi Mayweather (Janelle Monáe) and her first love Joey Vice (Miguel.) The Emotion Picture gives a glimpse at Cindi’s humble beginnings as a “cyber-server” at the Electric Sheep nightclub, a syn bar serving high-class “show droids” to the rich and lonely in a dangerous section of Metropolis known as Slop City. Incidentally, the innovative cybersoul music played at the club directly impacted Cindi, and she began singing and performing her own innovative compositions a short time after quitting this assignment. In addition, Cindi became determined to change the public perception of what an electric lady could be, dream and aspire to after working in the dismal conditions at the club.”
PrimeTime is part of Monáe’s second studio album, The Electric Lady, which released in the US on September 10, 2013. The emotion picture (aka music video) for the album’s first official single, Q.U.E.E.N featuring Erykah Badu, won Best Art Direction at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
The Electric Lady also features appearances by Esperanza Spalding, Prince, and Solange.
The album is a follow-up to Monáe’s debut album The ArchAndroid and debut EP Metropolis, Suite I (The Chase.) As the title would indicate, those had an element of the futuristic too. The tracks on The Electric Lady comprise the fourth and fifth parts of Monáe’s Metropolis series.
Of her tendency to tell highly imaginative stories through her music, Monáe has said “My mission is to unite emerging imaginations and I think it’s important to expand the mind of young people and people in our generation as well.”
Image via YouTube