Janelle Monáe Addresses Lesbian Rumors and Queer Lyrics

Janelle Monae's latest album, "Electric Lady" (featured as one of the 5 albums we want to hear), is revving up the gay rumor mill. Granted Monae told Billboard back in April that her new album would be much more personal, the artist quelled the gossip in a recent interview with Pride Source.

"I actually have never heard that," Monae said. "This is the first time I'm hearing it. But I will say that a lot of my work always comes from an authoritative stance, so it may not be about me; it may just be about a story, or something that I've witnessed, or my imagination. You just never know."

The Huffington Post examined a few of Monae's queerer lyrics. Two lines in "Q.U.E.E.N." read: "Am I a freak because I love watching Mary?" and "Hey sister, am I good enough for your heaven?" And in "Givin Em What They Love" she mentions a woman following her to a lobby for some "undercover love."

But Monae doesn't mind what people say: "I don't think there's anything wrong with being gay or lesbian or straight or black or green or purple, so I'm OK with that."

Hats off to Monae for not letting the rumors weigh her down. Instead, she's focusing on the purpose of "Electric Lady," which is "to unite and bridge the gap between various communities: black and white, gay and straight, conservative and liberal. She wants to create a 'purple state' in contrast to the red versus blue America many are too familiar with today."

"I'm a uniter," she said. "I won't allow myself to be a slave to my own interpretation of myself nor the interpretations that people may have of me. I just live my life, and people can feel free to discuss whatever it is that they think and use whatever adjectives they feel. It's a free country."

[H/T Sound-Savvy]