Janelle Monáe is 10-time Grammy-nominated, genre-defying artist and visionary activist whose impact spans music, film, fashion, and cultural storytelling. They are best known for the albums The ArchAndroid, Dirty Computer, and The Age of Pleasure, as well as roles in Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Antebellum, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

As a keynote speaker, Janelle Monáe brings to the stage profound and heartfelt conversations on identity, liberation, innovation, and radical joy. Through powerful stories from their personal life and career, they speak about the intersection of art and activism, mental health, entrepreneurship, and the responsibility we have to fight for marginalized communities. A lifelong sci-fi fanatic, Monáe also sheds light on the nuances of human creativity and emerging technologies. With a warmth and sincerity that makes even the largest auditorium feel like an intimate one-on-one, Janelle Monáe is an ideal speaker for colleges, corporate audiences, conferences, and non-profit organizations supporting Black and LGBTQ+ communities.

More About Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe fuses creativity and innovation with social justice and activism in every artistic endeavor. Their albums Dirty Computer and The Age of Pleasure are critically acclaimed, genre-bending projects that offer powerful commentary on race, gender, sexuality, and freedom. The albums both received Grammy nominations for Album of the Year, further cementing Monáe as one of the most influential, culture-shaping artists of their generation.

Many came to know Monáe and their alter ego Cindi Mayweather, a time-traveling android, through their first concept album, The ArchAndroid, a project blending soul, hip-hop, Afrofuturism, and sci-fi storytelling to explore themes of rebellion, liberation, and resistance against societal oppression. More than a decade ahead of schedule, Monáe’s prescient insights on the confluence of technology, AI, and humanity are ripe for the present moment. They have spoken on these topics and more at organizations including Salesforce, Google, Spotify, Out & Equal, Arizona State University, and Capital One.

On screen, Monáe can be seen in Is God Is and the Netflix animated series Bass X Machina. Other popular credits include Knives Out: A Glass Onion Mystery, Antebellum, Harriet, Homecoming, Moonlight, and Hidden Figures. They received both solo and ensemble level Critics’ Choice and SAG nominations and wins for their performances in Hidden Figures, Moonlight, and Glass Onion.

Monáe is the founder and head of Wondaland Arts Society, a multifaceted creative collective, record label, and production company. They are also the founder of Fem the Future, a nonprofit that supports the personal and professional development of under-resourced girls and nonbinary youth of color by connecting them to opportunities in music, arts, and education.

Janelle Monáe, a self-described “free-ass mother*cker,” moves through the world with an honesty and fierceness that inspires others to live their lives boldly and authentically.