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Speaker 1: Pushkin. Janelle Mona's had a lot to smile about this

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Speaker 1: year after a run of successful albums over the last decade,

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Speaker 1: and June she released her fourth album, The Age of Pleasure.

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Speaker 1: It's an important project. Not only was it just nominated

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Speaker 1: for two Grammys, including the Album of the Year, but

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Speaker 1: it's also signaled a big tone shift for Janelle, whose

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Speaker 1: past albums have centered in part around a recurring character

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Speaker 1: named Cindy Mayweather, an android who represents society's new other. Esthetically,

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Speaker 1: Janelle has also always been pretty buttoned up. For her

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Speaker 1: first few album releases, she made a point of always

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Speaker 1: appearing in public in some iteration of a tuxedo. But

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Speaker 1: for the Age of Pleasure, she literally stripped down to

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Speaker 1: almost nothing, flanting a newfound freedom centered around black joy, pleasure,

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Speaker 1: and acceptance. On today's episode on Poolside, having a conversation

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Speaker 1: with Jenemo and her longtime musical partner Nate Wonder, who

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Speaker 1: also co produced and co wrote this new record along

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Speaker 1: with her others, We're after a creative home base in

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Speaker 1: the Hollywood Hills called Wonderland. Nate explains how the Age

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Speaker 1: of Pleasure album started with the simple conceit of wanting

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Speaker 1: to make Janelle Monet smile. Jane also talks about why

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Speaker 1: she decided to ditch your career in musical theater after

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Speaker 1: college and how the Grace Jones ended up topless in

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Speaker 1: Wonderland's now infamous pool. This is broken record liner notes

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Speaker 1: for the digital Age. I'm justin Mitchman. Here's my conversation

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Speaker 1: with Nate Wonder and Janelle Monette. Happy birthday, Thank you

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Speaker 1: Rammy nomination.

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Speaker 2: Yes, album of the Year.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's like two in a row.

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Speaker 2: Now, I know that's a big deal. I know it's

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Speaker 2: a big deal.

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Speaker 3: I'm still just so humbled, very big.

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Speaker 1: Not just progressive R and B album, but like album

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Speaker 1: of the year, Like that's some crazy.

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Speaker 2: That's wild.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 4: I watched a lot of my here get it and

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Speaker 4: be on that stage, and like it's really a dream

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Speaker 4: to be able to not just shine light on the

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Speaker 4: work that I do. But you know, Nate's here as well.

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Speaker 4: He worked heavily on the music and production and writing

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Speaker 4: with me and everybody else who you know was a

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Speaker 4: part of the album. They get recognized too. So that's

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Speaker 4: the beautiful thing about being in that category.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, no, absolutely, Yeah. I wanted to ask about the

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Speaker 1: collaborative since I have the pleasure of both of you guys,

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Speaker 1: which is it feels special to me. So I was

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Speaker 1: curious about how you guys collaborate on it. I mean,

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Speaker 1: you guys been working together a long time.

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Speaker 4: First of all, every project, every album since my EPs,

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Speaker 4: where I was selling them out of the trunk of

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Speaker 4: my car in Atlanta. We've been able to have, you know,

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Speaker 4: a creative bond and just like evolution together and it's

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Speaker 4: just been really a fun ride. Lots of fun things

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Speaker 4: happen in the studio. It feels like family, it feels intentional.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely.

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Speaker 1: Where were you both at when you guys first met

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Speaker 1: in Atlanta?

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Speaker 2: We met at Morehouse Janelle was she was living like

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Speaker 2: in the.

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Speaker 4: Area, Parson Street, Yeah, boarding house next to Club Woody

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Speaker 4: in auc Club Woody is.

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Speaker 2: The name of the library.

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Speaker 5: Okay, you go there though, because it's in the middle

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Speaker 5: of all three campuses, it's kind of like a club.

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Speaker 1: You never know in Atlanta what that could be exactly.

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Speaker 5: It's actually actually the university library. And she would throw

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Speaker 5: shows on the steps. And I was just out of college.

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Speaker 5: I had lost my scholarship in my junior year of

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Speaker 5: college because I was writing music, And so after I graduated,

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Speaker 5: like I could really take the time to focus on

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Speaker 5: my music the way I wanted to.

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Speaker 1: So in college you knew that like music was where

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Speaker 1: you were focused, That's where your attention was.

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Speaker 3: But why did you lose it? What happened?

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Speaker 4: You need to tell him exactly a moment that will

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Speaker 4: let you know how serious you.

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Speaker 5: I mean, I had I had two full scholarships to school,

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Speaker 5: and I lost both of them because I.

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Speaker 1: How do you have to how do you get two.

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Speaker 5: NASA gave me a scholarship and the school gave me

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Speaker 5: a scholarship separately, and I just had both of them.

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Speaker 2: I had one like as a backup, I guess idea.

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Speaker 5: But I was in a math test and I was

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Speaker 5: doing well on the test except for like in the

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Speaker 5: middle of the test, I had this song come to

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Speaker 5: me and I just felt compelled to get up, and

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Speaker 5: I went to my dorm room and I wrote the

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Speaker 5: song and I did not finish the test, and it

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Speaker 5: caused my GPA to crater.

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Speaker 2: And that's why I lost my scholarship.

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Speaker 3: Yay was that And that's how we got to make music.

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Speaker 1: I mean, thank god he lost his NaSTA and scholarship.

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Speaker 1: I mean, in any other scenario, that's a tragedy. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: but it seems to have been the right path.

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Speaker 5: It tragic at the time too. After I realized that happened.

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Speaker 5: In the moment, it felt like, this is what you're

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Speaker 5: supposed to be doing. You need to just listen to this.

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Speaker 1: Was that common for you to just up and leave

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Speaker 1: whatever you were doing, wherever you were at, whoever you

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Speaker 1: were with, YO, get an idea.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, but not a test. It had not happened like

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Speaker 5: that was something that cost me so much.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, in the movie of your life was a pretty

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Speaker 1: high stake, you know.

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Speaker 5: What I mean, it was, and it felt like a

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Speaker 5: big mistake afterwards. For a little while, it felt like, wow,

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Speaker 5: that was crazy.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. My dad was like, you're crazy. You absolutely

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Speaker 2: lost your mind.

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Speaker 1: Were your parents academically folks, like, I mean, I don't

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Speaker 1: know how you get a scholarship.

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Speaker 2: My dad has a doctorate in music.

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Speaker 5: Actually, wow, And he wasn't active in music in that

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Speaker 5: kind of way.

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Speaker 2: He's a professor, so he's yes, he's.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, you grew up with a lot of theory and things.

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Speaker 5: I grew up watching him write music composed and like

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Speaker 5: he was writing operas and all that kind of stuff,

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Speaker 5: and like, so I saw that growing up, and I

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Speaker 5: learned a lot of instruments kind of I got introduced

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Speaker 5: to a lot of instruments early on, and I got

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Speaker 5: introduced to the idea of composition very early.

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Speaker 2: But he was not. He was like that it is dumb,

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Speaker 2: just so we could be clear, that's dumb.

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Speaker 1: Did you know him at the time.

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Speaker 3: I didn't know. You didn't know each other.

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Speaker 4: That was you know, I met him after he probably

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Speaker 4: did some healing from the traumatic experience of losing your scholarships.

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Speaker 2: I learned how to focus. That's what I learned from that.

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Speaker 5: I always hold that as like a lesson in focus

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Speaker 5: what it takes.

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Speaker 1: Focus on the thing at hand, or focus on the

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Speaker 1: creativity that's taking away.

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Speaker 5: Actually, you know, you know it's interesting, like it's just

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Speaker 5: pick something and do that thing. So the idea of

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Speaker 5: the multitasking and all that kind of stuff, I understood

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Speaker 5: how detrimental that could be to whatever the dream that

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Speaker 5: I had was. So if it was music, like I

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Speaker 5: know that, Like the feeling I had when I was

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Speaker 5: in the class asked, was, hey, you're not pursuing the

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Speaker 5: thing that you're supposed to be pursuing right now, and

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Speaker 5: you are going to feel sick about that at some

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Speaker 5: point in time. Right now, you feel sick, so you

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Speaker 5: need to go write that song. Later on, I felt like, okay,

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Speaker 5: I but I made a commitment and so you know,

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Speaker 5: it's about just commitment, focus not being distracted. And when

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Speaker 5: I finished college, I was like, Okay, now I'm going

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Speaker 5: to focus and I wanted to do that.

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Speaker 1: You did finish, yes, and you paid.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I had to pay my last year.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

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Speaker 2: Hey, last year, I got a scholarship for part of it.

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Speaker 2: I got a scholarship to go live in Spain, so

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Speaker 2: they paid me to go.

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Speaker 5: I did get another scholarship too, smart man, But I.

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Speaker 3: And tell them what you know what?

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Speaker 4: Tell them what you got that scholarship in Spanish, which

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Speaker 4: I suck it. I failed Spanish high.

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Speaker 1: School year, but major Spanish class.

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Speaker 3: Major in Spanish.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, did you study any music Spanish music while you

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Speaker 1: were in Spain?

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Speaker 2: No?

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Speaker 5: I studied Spanish art and architecture actually, And so when

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Speaker 5: I went to Spain, I was like, let me not

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Speaker 5: pursue music right now, let me focus. I'm not going

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Speaker 5: to bring any of my instruments, like I would never

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Speaker 5: not have a guitar in my hand. And so I

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Speaker 5: was like, I'm going to go to Spain. I'm not

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Speaker 5: going to have any instruments. I'm going to focus and

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Speaker 5: I'm going to just do what I'm here to do.

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Speaker 5: And I went there, and what was crazy is that

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Speaker 5: the place that I lived was directly next to a

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Speaker 5: music conservatory. So I would wake up and this girl

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Speaker 5: would play the flute every morning. It would wake me

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Speaker 5: up every morning. I would hear musicians playing all day,

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Speaker 5: and I was like, man, I got so I was there.

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Speaker 5: I bought a flute and like taught myself to play

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Speaker 5: the flute, but that was it. I was like, let

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Speaker 5: me just that's small enough.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that's more of a hobby than a real pstick pursuit. Similarly,

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Speaker 1: you early on were kind of like possessed by creativity, right,

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Speaker 1: I like that possessed.

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Speaker 4: Yes, there was never a time where I wasn't singing.

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Speaker 4: I don't remember like singing, acting, partying, doing exactly what

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Speaker 4: it is that I'm doing. I was talking to a

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Speaker 4: friend and she reminded me, she was like, remember in

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Speaker 4: sixth grade when we used to throw these parties and

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Speaker 4: you would charge a dollar for people to get in,

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Speaker 4: and I skipped school to hand out flyers.

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Speaker 3: It was a whole thing.

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Speaker 4: But at that same time, I was on every talent

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Speaker 4: show stage in Kansas City, in every musical theater production.

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Speaker 4: And you know, it's morphed into concerts now and the

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Speaker 4: age of pleasure album and being driven by by just

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Speaker 4: the things that I love. I'm so thankful that I

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Speaker 4: still can do that. And for me when I went

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Speaker 4: to school in New York after you know, after high school,

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Speaker 4: went to school in New York, and I thought, oh,

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Speaker 4: I want to do musical theater. As soon as I

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Speaker 4: got out there and started going to sea plays and stuff,

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Speaker 4: I was like, man, ugh, I'm not excited about any

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Speaker 4: of the roles that they're offering.

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Speaker 3: You know, people that look like me.

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Speaker 1: What were you What kind of roles were you getting?

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Speaker 4: Well, we couldn't really audition, but like there was no

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Speaker 4: there was maybe one strong black woman leading something there

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Speaker 4: was not right now, Broadway has changed, like it' it's

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Speaker 4: it's a lot more diverse, a lot more stories, a

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Speaker 4: lot more uniqueness. And the only thing, because I'm from Kansas,

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Speaker 4: the only thing I think people saw me doing was

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Speaker 4: the Whiz, and the Whiz wasn't on Broadway, and I'm

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Speaker 4: just like, I love the Whiz, but where is the

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Speaker 4: new energy, the new stories? And I had so much

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Speaker 4: bubbling because I'm a writer as well, and I decided that,

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Speaker 4: you know, I was going to quit. So I quit

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Speaker 4: school in New York. Everybody thought I was crazy too.

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Speaker 4: That was my like you're crazy moment, because coming from Kansas,

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Speaker 4: such a small town, They're like.

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Speaker 3: Wow, You're in New York. You're living the dream.

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Speaker 4: And little do they know, I was sleeping in the

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Speaker 4: same bed as my cousin because I could not afford

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Speaker 4: housing there, and so I was commuting from like a

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Speaker 4: hundred and forty of an Amsterdam the like seventy second

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Speaker 4: and Broadway every single day, Monday through Friday. Wow, I mean,

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Speaker 4: I learned a lot about surviving. And I was just like,

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Speaker 4: you know, poor, but excited about the arts and excited

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Speaker 4: about finally figuring out what did Janelle Robinson have to say?

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Speaker 4: Because I wasn't even going by Janelle mone I had

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Speaker 4: not tapped into the center the core of what I

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Speaker 4: had to say because I was spending so much time

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Speaker 4: singing everybody else's songs.

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Speaker 1: Why the transition of Janell Moe then from Janelle Robinson.

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Speaker 1: What about that felt more like the authentic place to

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Speaker 1: create farm.

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Speaker 4: Well, I knew about the painter mone and I always

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Speaker 4: thought like, that's that's a great artist name, and it

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Speaker 4: just so happens to be my real name. My middle

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Speaker 4: name is none. My aunt actually she was like Janelle Monet,

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Speaker 4: Janelle Monee. She calls me that all the time, like

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Speaker 4: when she sees me, and it just it sucks.

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Speaker 1: Even before, so it wasn't like I was a kid

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Speaker 1: like your family and where you come from, none.

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Speaker 4: Of I just thought Monnette felt like an artist's name

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Speaker 4: and it was my name, and it was like, yeah, okay,

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Speaker 4: I get to reinvent you know who, what I can be,

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Speaker 4: how I can say it, how I see myself.

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Speaker 3: And it was so great.

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Speaker 4: So that's when I moved to Atlanta, and that's when

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Speaker 4: I met Nate Rocket Wonder, I met Chuck Lightning, I

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Speaker 4: met Michael Moore, who were all still working together. They

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Speaker 4: were at Morehouse. They ran this arts collective called the

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Speaker 4: Dark Tower Project, and they would bring musicians, poets to

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Speaker 4: Morehouse and I was one of the people who performed

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Speaker 4: that night, and I just saw this kind of black

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Speaker 4: cosmopolitan in Atlanta, Like it was just this melting pot

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Speaker 4: of just excellence and creativity and freedom of expression. I

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Speaker 4: had never seen anything like it, and I wanted to

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Speaker 4: be around that, and I wanted to make music for them.

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Speaker 4: That's who I wanted to make music for. And so

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Speaker 4: when I started to write, I would sit out, like

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Speaker 4: Nate was saying, I would sit on the library steps

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Speaker 4: of Club Woody and I would just play guitar, sing

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Speaker 4: my songs. People will walk by, some would stop and listen,

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Speaker 4: some would keep moving.

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Speaker 3: I would go to dorm lounge.

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Speaker 4: And sit on the couch and give before like to

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Speaker 4: anybody that would listen. I was, I was like, I

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Speaker 4: don't give a damn. I have to know.

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Speaker 3: Is this for me?

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Speaker 1: Yeah?

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Speaker 4: Like, do you guys like what I have to say?

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Speaker 4: Like can I make my purpose and passion and also

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Speaker 4: career aligne.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a scary time because you don't you don't

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Speaker 1: really know that. And we have the confidence to not

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Speaker 1: necessarily care, but you don't at times don't really know.

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Speaker 1: You don't know.

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Speaker 5: Like one of the reasons why we really connected was because,

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Speaker 5: like I know it sounds very basic, but.

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Speaker 2: We love art.

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Speaker 5: And I think that we were inspired by meeting other

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Speaker 5: people who loved art, like really would just like fall

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Speaker 5: in love.

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Speaker 2: With art, you know, just be obsessed over it.

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Speaker 5: Just sit up all day and think about something that

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Speaker 5: they read or a painting that they.

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Speaker 2: Saw, or just a song, just sit and cry to

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Speaker 2: a song. And just like.

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Speaker 5: I know that Janelle and I have a very spiritual

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Speaker 5: connection that music, it really is like the catalyst for

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Speaker 5: that and it catalyzes it all the time. It's something

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Speaker 5: that I know that we can always tap into. Like

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Speaker 5: besides being like good thought partners and like you know,

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Speaker 5: there are wonderful myriad things about Janelle that make her

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Speaker 5: a great like human being. But on a musical level,

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Speaker 5: she is very passionate about music, Like if I play

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Speaker 5: certain chords, it can make her cry. And that is

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Speaker 5: something that also happens to me, Like I can hear

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Speaker 5: certain songs certain chords, and it doesn't have to do

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Speaker 5: it necessarily the lyrics. Always sometimes the lyrics, yes, and

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Speaker 5: poetry is beautiful and that's another you know, but just

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Speaker 5: like music and just being really just emotionally brought to

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Speaker 5: your knee ease over how good music can be. And

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Speaker 5: we've shared so many of those moments, and that was

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Speaker 5: like the beginning of that time where we got to

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Speaker 5: really just pass music back and forth and be shocked

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Speaker 5: and just sit in awe with.

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Speaker 2: Each other as we would just listen to what could

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Speaker 2: be done.

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Speaker 4: I think one of the things that I loved early on,

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Speaker 4: and the reason why I think we've worked so well

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Speaker 4: together musically, is because Nate is a student of music,

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Speaker 4: and so when it comes to like anything that I

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Speaker 4: want to do, there's nothing we can't do, from string

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Speaker 4: arrangements to core progressions, horn arrangements, melodies, Like there's no genre.

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Speaker 4: We've been genres with each album. You know, it's all

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Speaker 4: about how do we create our own musical language.

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Speaker 3: And I love that.

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Speaker 4: I always have to feel pushed and stretched, and I

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Speaker 4: think that's what is the exciting thing, because it's like

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Speaker 4: we literally have the the mind and the student heart,

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Speaker 4: Like we never stop.

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Speaker 1: Being student, always at the beginning.

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Speaker 4: Always it's always a new whiteboard, you know, the ideas

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Speaker 4: ready to be put down.

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Speaker 1: It sounds to me like you guys are just always

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Speaker 1: creating things, regardless of like there's an album, dude, or

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Speaker 1: you know, or it's been a minute or you know,

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Speaker 1: it's like, it's just that's how you guys are inhabiting life.

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Speaker 1: It's just creating every day or you know, the days

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Speaker 1: that it feels right to do. Right.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I didn't get into music because of

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Speaker 4: awards or because of you know, recognition or anything like that.

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Speaker 4: Music is truly healing. I need music like I need

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Speaker 4: a song in my darkest hours. I need a song

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Speaker 4: in my most celebratory stage. I need a song when

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Speaker 4: you know, I want to communicate something that my own

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Speaker 4: words can't say, and I need to be able to

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Speaker 4: write when I'm feeling frustrated or when I'm like it's

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Speaker 4: a way. It has helped my mental health so much, Yeah,

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Speaker 4: so much.

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Speaker 1: You know, when I was listening again for like the

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Speaker 1: umpteenth time this morning on a wat to the Age

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Speaker 1: of Pleasure, I was wondering listening to it, it might

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Speaker 1: be a possible question to answer, but whether these songs

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Speaker 1: were for you or for other people, because I in

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Speaker 1: a way I've realized as I've been listening to it,

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Speaker 1: I've been taking it as like you giving mantras to me.

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Speaker 1: I love that, but it occurred to me to the

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Speaker 1: I'm like, maybe you needed to write this for you too,

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Speaker 1: and I don't know how you were approaching.

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Speaker 3: That, but it's for all of us.

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Speaker 4: It's for us, and that means a lot to hear

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Speaker 4: you say that, because I think one of the most

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Speaker 4: important things as an artist is your ability to communicate.

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Speaker 4: And as much as I can, you know, say like, oh,

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Speaker 4: I just want to do an album and I want

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Speaker 4: this just for myself and I me to listen to it.

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Speaker 4: That's not my truth. I actually want everybody to feel

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Speaker 4: like this is their soundtrack to their life. This is

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Speaker 4: curating their thoughts and their feelings. They are part of

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Speaker 4: my community. We're a part of each other's community, and

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Speaker 4: all of us are growing and healing and moving together

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Speaker 4: and sharing something that they can tap into anytime they

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Speaker 4: want to. And it's funny because you're here. This is

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Speaker 4: exactly what inspired the album, this space, having this space

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Speaker 4: filled with black and brown and you know, just beautiful

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Speaker 4: people across the diaspora here, seeing them smiling, seeing the

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Speaker 4: joy and their spirits and their hearts. During the time

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Speaker 4: where everybody thought the world was ending, I mean every dayandemic.

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Speaker 4: We created Wonderland West during the pandemic. It was one

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Speaker 4: of the most scary things ever because I grew up

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Speaker 4: my parents didn't own a home. We were either in

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Speaker 4: like a duplex or you know, we live with my

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Speaker 4: grandmother and they were working class, like making ends meet,

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Speaker 4: but live in check to check. So when it was

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Speaker 4: time for all of us to contribute and figure out

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Speaker 4: where we were going to migrate with Wonderland, it was like, okay,

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Speaker 4: are we ready to all? Am I ready to invest

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Speaker 4: in our next creative endeavor?

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Speaker 3: Yes? I am, But we're in the middle of a pandemic.

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Speaker 3: What does that mean?

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Speaker 4: And luckily we knew the person who was trying to

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Speaker 4: sell the space, and they were just like, there's nobody

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Speaker 4: else I want to have this space.

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Speaker 3: And it worked out and it came right to you. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: it did.

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Speaker 4: But it was also scary because a lot of things

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Speaker 4: were being canceled For me. My job is to go

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Speaker 4: out into the world and travel and you know, try

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Speaker 4: to heal people through music.

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Speaker 3: But I couldn't do that.

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Speaker 1: So you come from growing up a certain amount of insecurity. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: and it's you know, the successful career you've had, it's

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Speaker 1: hard to imagine that. But you know, as soon as

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Speaker 1: you start to feel that a little bit insecurity again.

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Speaker 1: I know from my own life, like all of a sudden, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I mean, where was your mind that?

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Speaker 2: With all of that, I.

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Speaker 4: Think the pandemic reminded me just how much music means

402
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Speaker 4: to me as a person, not as a career path,

403
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Speaker 4: not as you know, the artists that people know and

404
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Speaker 4: come to the concerts and see, but as a human

405
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Speaker 4: android having this Earth experience.

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Speaker 3: I need music. I need to create.

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Speaker 4: During that time, not only were we working on music,

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Speaker 4: but I also wrote a book called The Memory Librarian.

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Speaker 4: I was just doing anything creative that would would help

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Speaker 4: me feel better, because to go from moving around so

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Speaker 4: much to just being still it was tough.

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Speaker 3: It was tough for me. How was it for you, Nate?

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Speaker 2: Yeah?

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Speaker 5: You know, art has this weird responsibility of trying to

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Speaker 5: document and explain the human experience a little bit more

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Speaker 5: and kind of just like on Earth, a little bit

417
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Speaker 5: more about what it means to be human. And I

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Speaker 5: think that so many of us were finding out a

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Speaker 5: lot more about what it meant to be human, Yeah,

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Speaker 5: like a lot about the mortality of it, even though

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Speaker 5: we weren't necessarily in or didn't consider ourselves vulnerable in

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Speaker 5: that kind of way. I think a lot of us

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Speaker 5: looked at ourselves as more vulnerable to death. And I

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Speaker 5: think that that was a very real consideration that we

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Speaker 5: all kind of had to deal with it differently. And

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Speaker 5: I think that human experience is a very unique one

427
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Speaker 5: that kind of felt like okay, so what is the

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Speaker 5: response to that, and how do you talk about this

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Speaker 5: in healthy ways? And how do you explore and understand

430
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Speaker 5: more about it? So I think that like part of

431
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Speaker 5: what we were trying to do was just face that

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Speaker 5: in an honest way. When you talk about like the affirmations,

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Speaker 5: I mean that was very intentional, because part of just

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Speaker 5: confronting death is like being able to turn your head

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Speaker 5: and be like not today, and then you kind of

436
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Speaker 5: are like okay, so then what does that mean? And

437
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Speaker 5: it's kind of like, okay, live and so then how

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Speaker 5: do you live in a way that honors the life experience?

439
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Speaker 5: And it's like, hey, okay, I'm here, I'm here now,

440
00:22:19,396 --> 00:22:21,076
Speaker 5: you know. And you hear these stories about the Roaring

441
00:22:21,116 --> 00:22:25,236
Speaker 5: twenties when people are kind of like getting through the depressions.

442
00:22:25,516 --> 00:22:28,396
Speaker 5: It's so much going on and they're like you and

443
00:22:28,396 --> 00:22:31,316
Speaker 5: they've made it through a pandemic, right, and you have

444
00:22:31,436 --> 00:22:35,756
Speaker 5: the guilt and so much of that goes into just

445
00:22:35,756 --> 00:22:40,756
Speaker 5: just your human experience, and it's those affirmations were like

446
00:22:40,916 --> 00:22:45,276
Speaker 5: just the small attempts to just undergird just the everyday

447
00:22:46,076 --> 00:22:48,276
Speaker 5: thing that's kind of like pushing you down and kind

448
00:22:48,276 --> 00:22:49,356
Speaker 5: of be like, all right, I'm.

449
00:22:49,196 --> 00:22:49,956
Speaker 2: Gonna get back up.

450
00:22:50,476 --> 00:22:52,276
Speaker 5: You know when Janelle says like I used to walk

451
00:22:52,276 --> 00:22:55,116
Speaker 5: into the room head down, you know, it's just that

452
00:22:55,356 --> 00:22:57,676
Speaker 5: feeling of I used to walk into the room head

453
00:22:57,716 --> 00:23:01,836
Speaker 5: down and being like that's I'm leaving that and now

454
00:23:01,996 --> 00:23:05,716
Speaker 5: I'm onto this next stage of myself.

455
00:23:06,396 --> 00:23:09,076
Speaker 4: I think in the I think it was a priva

456
00:23:09,636 --> 00:23:12,236
Speaker 4: to be still because during that time, I mean, as

457
00:23:12,276 --> 00:23:13,916
Speaker 4: we know, a lot of people were getting laid off

458
00:23:13,916 --> 00:23:16,276
Speaker 4: from work, a lot of people were losing their families

459
00:23:16,676 --> 00:23:20,836
Speaker 4: passing away. And as much as it was sad that

460
00:23:20,916 --> 00:23:23,596
Speaker 4: I couldn't go and be the artist that I wanted

461
00:23:23,596 --> 00:23:25,436
Speaker 4: to be out into the world, there were so many

462
00:23:25,476 --> 00:23:29,156
Speaker 4: other people who had it worse than us. In that stillness,

463
00:23:29,236 --> 00:23:31,956
Speaker 4: I said, well, what can I do. I know, we

464
00:23:31,956 --> 00:23:34,836
Speaker 4: were in LA and we got the opportunity to feed

465
00:23:34,956 --> 00:23:38,396
Speaker 4: and give out over thirty five thousand meals throughout Won

466
00:23:38,476 --> 00:23:42,276
Speaker 4: to Lunch program, and so we did that for like months,

467
00:23:42,276 --> 00:23:46,276
Speaker 4: and months and months, and I think that connectivity back

468
00:23:46,316 --> 00:23:50,596
Speaker 4: to humanity really let us know what kind of affirmations

469
00:23:50,596 --> 00:23:54,116
Speaker 4: are people needed and what I needed as well. And

470
00:23:54,156 --> 00:23:56,876
Speaker 4: I think to answer your question, we were very intentional

471
00:23:56,916 --> 00:23:59,076
Speaker 4: about that, and I think Float really kicked it off.

472
00:23:59,476 --> 00:23:59,996
Speaker 3: Like I used to.

473
00:23:59,996 --> 00:24:01,956
Speaker 4: Walk into the room head down out on walk Now

474
00:24:01,956 --> 00:24:04,596
Speaker 4: if Float, I got an opportunity in that stillness to

475
00:24:05,276 --> 00:24:09,436
Speaker 4: deal with childhood trauma that I had not help with

476
00:24:10,396 --> 00:24:14,436
Speaker 4: that because because I was moving around so much, I didn't.

477
00:24:14,476 --> 00:24:18,116
Speaker 4: It was like, Okay, you know something's not right, but

478
00:24:18,156 --> 00:24:21,036
Speaker 4: I don't have time to deal with it. And in

479
00:24:21,076 --> 00:24:26,076
Speaker 4: that discovering and peeling back the layers of the rejection

480
00:24:26,316 --> 00:24:31,036
Speaker 4: and abandonment that I felt early on get into the

481
00:24:31,116 --> 00:24:34,636
Speaker 4: root of it, my spirit started to get lighter because

482
00:24:34,636 --> 00:24:37,876
Speaker 4: I knew. I was like, oh, okay, so I can

483
00:24:37,916 --> 00:24:41,556
Speaker 4: become better and more evolved as a person now. And

484
00:24:41,596 --> 00:24:43,716
Speaker 4: I feel so empowered now that I know.

485
00:24:43,756 --> 00:24:44,796
Speaker 3: What was going on with me.

486
00:24:45,836 --> 00:24:49,196
Speaker 4: And when you heal as a as a person, all

487
00:24:49,236 --> 00:24:51,436
Speaker 4: of that seeks into your music and your art. My

488
00:24:51,556 --> 00:24:55,676
Speaker 4: art is a reflection of who I am, and I'm

489
00:24:55,676 --> 00:24:57,956
Speaker 4: so thankful for that, because all I wanted to do

490
00:24:58,156 --> 00:25:01,596
Speaker 4: was give more people affirmations because I know I wouldn't

491
00:25:01,676 --> 00:25:03,996
Speaker 4: only want When I would have conversations with people, they

492
00:25:04,036 --> 00:25:08,116
Speaker 4: would say the same thing, like, man, I have to

493
00:25:08,196 --> 00:25:09,836
Speaker 4: let go of this. I have to let go of that,

494
00:25:10,276 --> 00:25:12,236
Speaker 4: you know, And so float was that thing. It was

495
00:25:12,276 --> 00:25:15,076
Speaker 4: like once you let go of the heaviness that you've

496
00:25:15,076 --> 00:25:17,796
Speaker 4: been carrying on your back that you didn't didn't have

497
00:25:17,836 --> 00:25:19,836
Speaker 4: to carry, and you just find you're finding out like, oh,

498
00:25:20,236 --> 00:25:22,076
Speaker 4: I have a way to get all of this off

499
00:25:22,116 --> 00:25:24,876
Speaker 4: of me now. It felt like I wanted to celebrate

500
00:25:24,916 --> 00:25:28,596
Speaker 4: as a new person, like I feel like I definitely,

501
00:25:29,236 --> 00:25:31,396
Speaker 4: you know, shed a lot of skin, turned a new leaf.

502
00:25:32,036 --> 00:25:37,196
Speaker 4: And obviously it's a constant, you know, journey, But once

503
00:25:37,236 --> 00:25:39,996
Speaker 4: I tapped into it, I got really inspired to write

504
00:25:39,996 --> 00:25:40,436
Speaker 4: about it.

505
00:25:42,236 --> 00:25:43,996
Speaker 1: After a quick break, we'll come back with more of

506
00:25:44,036 --> 00:25:51,956
Speaker 1: my conversation with Jennel Monet and Nate Wonder. We're back

507
00:25:51,996 --> 00:25:55,996
Speaker 1: with Jennel mone and Nate Wonder. Once you put the

508
00:25:56,036 --> 00:25:58,316
Speaker 1: album out, how did you guys feel about the response

509
00:25:58,356 --> 00:26:02,156
Speaker 1: to it. You know, obviously we're very vulnerable, and I

510
00:26:02,156 --> 00:26:06,396
Speaker 1: feel like that was like a big point of conversation

511
00:26:06,636 --> 00:26:10,356
Speaker 1: around that. But was it Sometimes you do things feeling

512
00:26:10,396 --> 00:26:11,876
Speaker 1: like that's the right thing to do, and then it's like,

513
00:26:11,876 --> 00:26:15,116
Speaker 1: oh shit, I got to talk about this, Like how

514
00:26:15,236 --> 00:26:18,116
Speaker 1: was the process of going out and talking about the

515
00:26:18,156 --> 00:26:21,156
Speaker 1: album and getting people's responses to the project?

516
00:26:21,836 --> 00:26:24,796
Speaker 4: You know, I think it's a beautiful thing that when

517
00:26:24,796 --> 00:26:27,596
Speaker 4: people see themselves reflected, that was the most beautiful thing.

518
00:26:27,636 --> 00:26:29,156
Speaker 4: I think a lot of people coming up to me,

519
00:26:29,676 --> 00:26:32,276
Speaker 4: some of them whispering, some of them more vocal about it,

520
00:26:32,356 --> 00:26:37,196
Speaker 4: like thank you so much, you know, for sharing more

521
00:26:37,236 --> 00:26:39,876
Speaker 4: of who you are. There's this quote by betha and

522
00:26:39,916 --> 00:26:42,116
Speaker 4: Hardest and this as you know, people don't change that

523
00:26:42,236 --> 00:26:45,116
Speaker 4: become more of who they are. And what I got

524
00:26:45,116 --> 00:26:48,556
Speaker 4: an opportunity to do is become more of who I

525
00:26:48,596 --> 00:26:51,476
Speaker 4: am and write about it and write about it with

526
00:26:51,516 --> 00:26:53,596
Speaker 4: other people who were discovering more about who they were

527
00:26:54,236 --> 00:26:56,996
Speaker 4: and us having a safe space that was really important.

528
00:26:56,996 --> 00:27:00,156
Speaker 4: I think with an album called The Age of Pleasure,

529
00:27:00,196 --> 00:27:03,436
Speaker 4: there is no pleasure without safety. When we don't feel

530
00:27:03,476 --> 00:27:06,476
Speaker 4: safe and taking care of you cannot be free in

531
00:27:06,516 --> 00:27:08,556
Speaker 4: the way that you move or express yourselves.

532
00:27:08,556 --> 00:27:11,236
Speaker 1: At least from me to your point earlier about unpacking

533
00:27:11,236 --> 00:27:12,916
Speaker 1: a lot of the dramas and stuff, just feeling safe

534
00:27:12,916 --> 00:27:15,556
Speaker 1: within yourself too exactly, you know what I mean exactly.

535
00:27:16,036 --> 00:27:19,556
Speaker 4: I feel a lot more. Mmm, how do I put it?

536
00:27:20,876 --> 00:27:23,796
Speaker 4: I did put it. I see a float. I feel

537
00:27:23,836 --> 00:27:28,796
Speaker 4: like I've like floated in anything that used to bother me.

538
00:27:29,356 --> 00:27:32,076
Speaker 4: It doesn't touch me to say. It's kind of scary

539
00:27:32,156 --> 00:27:34,156
Speaker 4: and also really really awesome.

540
00:27:34,596 --> 00:27:37,716
Speaker 1: Yeah, how was it writing on this record with Janelle?

541
00:27:38,076 --> 00:27:41,316
Speaker 1: With given the just the way the songs were coming out,

542
00:27:41,636 --> 00:27:41,956
Speaker 1: it was.

543
00:27:41,916 --> 00:27:42,716
Speaker 2: A real blessing.

544
00:27:43,436 --> 00:27:46,796
Speaker 5: Before we started working on that album, I remember I

545
00:27:46,956 --> 00:27:50,676
Speaker 5: told my management team that I really wanted to focus

546
00:27:50,836 --> 00:27:54,716
Speaker 5: this time that I have right now on making music

547
00:27:55,356 --> 00:28:01,916
Speaker 5: for black women and black non binary folks. I want

548
00:28:01,956 --> 00:28:04,636
Speaker 5: to make music that makes them smile, Like, I want

549
00:28:04,636 --> 00:28:07,596
Speaker 5: to make music for them specifically, like I really just

550
00:28:07,636 --> 00:28:11,756
Speaker 5: want to be of service to that community. And there's

551
00:28:11,836 --> 00:28:16,276
Speaker 5: so many reasons why. But one reason is because when

552
00:28:16,316 --> 00:28:19,236
Speaker 5: I go to the grocery store as like a little

553
00:28:19,276 --> 00:28:21,596
Speaker 5: side I.

554
00:28:24,156 --> 00:28:24,996
Speaker 2: Do it. I love it.

555
00:28:25,836 --> 00:28:26,436
Speaker 3: This is great.

556
00:28:26,556 --> 00:28:32,996
Speaker 4: I love it because I do not like going used

557
00:28:32,996 --> 00:28:34,636
Speaker 4: to have me in the grocery store way too long.

558
00:28:34,716 --> 00:28:36,076
Speaker 4: It's like I'm ready to go home.

559
00:28:37,436 --> 00:28:39,636
Speaker 5: So anyway, but when I would go and I see

560
00:28:40,036 --> 00:28:42,956
Speaker 5: like black women at the grocery store smiling.

561
00:28:43,876 --> 00:28:45,916
Speaker 2: It just makes me feel a certain way.

562
00:28:46,436 --> 00:28:48,396
Speaker 5: And sometimes it'll be like when a certain song would

563
00:28:48,396 --> 00:28:50,916
Speaker 5: come on, it would be like you see them singing

564
00:28:51,036 --> 00:28:55,156
Speaker 5: their song and it's like, man, so good. And Janelle,

565
00:28:55,156 --> 00:28:58,876
Speaker 5: of course, has like done so much work as a

566
00:28:58,956 --> 00:29:04,516
Speaker 5: leading voice in terms of activism, in terms of being

567
00:29:04,516 --> 00:29:07,356
Speaker 5: on the right side of history, in terms of speaking

568
00:29:07,516 --> 00:29:14,036
Speaker 5: up for marginalized people, early to early always it's been herself.

569
00:29:15,036 --> 00:29:18,396
Speaker 5: But I also was thinking about how much that can

570
00:29:18,436 --> 00:29:22,476
Speaker 5: weigh on a person, And I told you now, I said,

571
00:29:22,556 --> 00:29:25,796
Speaker 5: I really like for your next time, I would really

572
00:29:25,876 --> 00:29:29,636
Speaker 5: love I would love to see you smile more like

573
00:29:29,676 --> 00:29:31,556
Speaker 5: I would love to just see you smile, Like it

574
00:29:31,636 --> 00:29:34,636
Speaker 5: really would mean so much. I think that you smiling

575
00:29:35,116 --> 00:29:38,076
Speaker 5: is a really special thing. I love when I see

576
00:29:38,116 --> 00:29:41,836
Speaker 5: you smile, and I would love to see what that

577
00:29:42,076 --> 00:29:45,516
Speaker 5: energy is to like really put that into a space.

578
00:29:45,716 --> 00:29:47,716
Speaker 4: And I hadn't really considered that. And I looked at

579
00:29:47,716 --> 00:29:50,756
Speaker 4: all my album covers and I was like, I'm really

580
00:29:50,796 --> 00:29:51,396
Speaker 4: not smiling.

581
00:29:51,796 --> 00:29:53,676
Speaker 1: Kind of fuck with you for a second, Yeah, I was.

582
00:29:53,636 --> 00:29:56,956
Speaker 4: Like, what what is going on? Like from the Arcandroid

583
00:29:57,116 --> 00:30:02,116
Speaker 4: to Electric Lady to Dirty Computer, And if you look

584
00:30:02,156 --> 00:30:07,356
Speaker 4: at the cover for the Age of Pleasure. I am

585
00:30:07,356 --> 00:30:12,196
Speaker 4: writing this pool swimming topless and smiling.

586
00:30:13,156 --> 00:30:17,076
Speaker 5: Yeah, you know, it's a layered idea, but I do

587
00:30:17,236 --> 00:30:22,116
Speaker 5: think that giving somebody something that makes them want to

588
00:30:22,196 --> 00:30:28,636
Speaker 5: smile is its own resistance. It's its own protest, it's

589
00:30:28,676 --> 00:30:32,796
Speaker 5: its own like giving people affirmations is its own version.

590
00:30:33,156 --> 00:30:36,396
Speaker 5: It's a certain form of work, it's a certain type

591
00:30:36,396 --> 00:30:36,916
Speaker 5: of healing.

592
00:30:37,796 --> 00:30:40,756
Speaker 1: And so it's pleasure like yeah, you like it's like

593
00:30:40,876 --> 00:30:42,516
Speaker 1: I want you to smile. It's like to your point

594
00:30:42,556 --> 00:30:45,156
Speaker 1: then too, it's like only I smile, like I want

595
00:30:45,196 --> 00:30:48,436
Speaker 1: top in this pool right and smiled, And it's like

596
00:30:48,596 --> 00:30:52,276
Speaker 1: both of those things are can be subversive, can't be

597
00:30:52,316 --> 00:30:53,476
Speaker 1: absolutely you know what I mean?

598
00:30:53,756 --> 00:30:56,796
Speaker 5: Absolutely it is to make an album called The Age

599
00:30:56,836 --> 00:30:59,836
Speaker 5: of Pleasure in the middle of a pandemic is a

600
00:30:59,956 --> 00:31:03,916
Speaker 5: subversive piece of art because it is just kind of

601
00:31:03,916 --> 00:31:07,676
Speaker 5: being like, no, it's just like because there's been you know,

602
00:31:07,716 --> 00:31:10,716
Speaker 5: when you're dealing with so much trauma from elections to

603
00:31:10,996 --> 00:31:15,676
Speaker 5: it's so much that happens, and it feels like your

604
00:31:15,836 --> 00:31:18,076
Speaker 5: energy when you wake up is going to be stolen

605
00:31:18,116 --> 00:31:18,396
Speaker 5: from you.

606
00:31:18,676 --> 00:31:22,756
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it feels like, yeah, you're dolen, right, It's

607
00:31:22,796 --> 00:31:25,436
Speaker 1: not yours.

608
00:31:24,596 --> 00:31:28,076
Speaker 5: Exactly, and so it was like a big like, no,

609
00:31:28,956 --> 00:31:31,156
Speaker 5: you cannot have all of my day.

610
00:31:31,596 --> 00:31:33,396
Speaker 2: Yeah, you cannot have all of my time.

611
00:31:33,996 --> 00:31:37,676
Speaker 5: I'm going to take some time to enjoy life as

612
00:31:37,716 --> 00:31:40,396
Speaker 5: best as I can under whatever the circumstances that I

613
00:31:40,476 --> 00:31:44,036
Speaker 5: have are. I'm going to try my best to do

614
00:31:44,396 --> 00:31:48,476
Speaker 5: what I can to appreciate this moment, as simple as

615
00:31:48,516 --> 00:31:51,156
Speaker 5: it may be. And what I think that we were

616
00:31:51,276 --> 00:31:56,876
Speaker 5: finding in the writing process was that just having time

617
00:31:56,956 --> 00:32:00,356
Speaker 5: to hang out with your friends was the thing that

618
00:32:00,436 --> 00:32:05,436
Speaker 5: we needed the most. Just seeking time to appreciate each other,

619
00:32:06,236 --> 00:32:08,676
Speaker 5: to smile at each other, to laugh with each other,

620
00:32:09,276 --> 00:32:11,716
Speaker 5: to do like the simple stuff with each other felt

621
00:32:11,756 --> 00:32:16,116
Speaker 5: like this is like worth my time way more than

622
00:32:16,156 --> 00:32:18,476
Speaker 5: whatever that other thing was that was driving me and

623
00:32:18,676 --> 00:32:20,236
Speaker 5: decentering my joy.

624
00:32:20,716 --> 00:32:21,076
Speaker 3: Yeah.

625
00:32:21,196 --> 00:32:23,236
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean that's what that stuff does, right, Like

626
00:32:23,276 --> 00:32:25,676
Speaker 4: when you think about racism, when you think about sexism,

627
00:32:25,676 --> 00:32:29,676
Speaker 4: when you think about homophobia, all of it. It literally,

628
00:32:30,516 --> 00:32:33,956
Speaker 4: in addition to just being you know, pure evil work,

629
00:32:34,476 --> 00:32:37,956
Speaker 4: it distracts you from living your life because you spend

630
00:32:37,956 --> 00:32:41,156
Speaker 4: so much time fighting. And I definitely found myself and

631
00:32:41,156 --> 00:32:42,596
Speaker 4: I know I'm not the only one. There were so

632
00:32:42,636 --> 00:32:44,916
Speaker 4: many of my friends and people who were out marching.

633
00:32:45,316 --> 00:32:47,596
Speaker 4: You know, you have to understand George Floyd had been murdered.

634
00:32:47,996 --> 00:32:50,596
Speaker 4: It was so much. Breonna Taylor, it was so much.

635
00:32:50,596 --> 00:32:52,916
Speaker 4: And I was working with say her name and I

636
00:32:52,996 --> 00:32:57,436
Speaker 4: put out you know, protest music. It was so heavy, man,

637
00:32:57,556 --> 00:32:59,196
Speaker 4: and I was like, somebody has to do the work.

638
00:32:59,236 --> 00:33:02,236
Speaker 4: But I think balance is important, and what I was

639
00:33:02,276 --> 00:33:05,596
Speaker 4: realizing is I was not getting the balance that I needed.

640
00:33:06,196 --> 00:33:08,876
Speaker 4: And so once we made a decision to not center

641
00:33:09,556 --> 00:33:13,316
Speaker 4: white supremacy, to not center you know, all all of

642
00:33:13,356 --> 00:33:16,956
Speaker 4: the things that again come to distract and destroy and

643
00:33:16,996 --> 00:33:19,716
Speaker 4: stop us from just living our lives as humans, having

644
00:33:19,716 --> 00:33:23,516
Speaker 4: this earth experience and be clear and stand on that.

645
00:33:23,516 --> 00:33:27,276
Speaker 4: That's when I feel like the songwriting got focused. And

646
00:33:27,316 --> 00:33:29,956
Speaker 4: with this project, I said, I want to make music

647
00:33:30,036 --> 00:33:33,036
Speaker 4: for that community, for that community of folks who suffer

648
00:33:33,116 --> 00:33:34,996
Speaker 4: time poverty, Like they don't have time.

649
00:33:35,556 --> 00:33:36,556
Speaker 1: It's a great phrase.

650
00:33:37,276 --> 00:33:39,756
Speaker 4: It's a real thing in our community. People don't have

651
00:33:40,276 --> 00:33:44,316
Speaker 4: the time or the leisure time to just be you

652
00:33:44,316 --> 00:33:46,596
Speaker 4: know what I'm saying, to just be one with their

653
00:33:46,636 --> 00:33:49,036
Speaker 4: friends or their families, because you spend so much time working,

654
00:33:49,076 --> 00:33:51,636
Speaker 4: you spending so much time fighting, and it's like when

655
00:33:51,636 --> 00:33:53,316
Speaker 4: do we say, Okay, well we're going to carve out

656
00:33:53,356 --> 00:33:55,756
Speaker 4: this little space for us. And so I said, I

657
00:33:56,316 --> 00:33:59,956
Speaker 4: want to create music that we can all listen to

658
00:34:00,356 --> 00:34:03,316
Speaker 4: take with us whole with us. That is the balance

659
00:34:04,196 --> 00:34:08,396
Speaker 4: in everything that we're dealing with. And if the people

660
00:34:08,396 --> 00:34:11,476
Speaker 4: that I invite or are not dancing to these songs,

661
00:34:12,876 --> 00:34:15,636
Speaker 4: if they are not moving, if they're not trying to shazam,

662
00:34:15,756 --> 00:34:19,316
Speaker 4: if they're not asking who is that, then it's not working.

663
00:34:19,756 --> 00:34:22,356
Speaker 4: It's not like I want them to really really really

664
00:34:22,396 --> 00:34:25,236
Speaker 4: really love this music. Obviously we have to love it right,

665
00:34:25,876 --> 00:34:28,356
Speaker 4: but it was so important that the community people we

666
00:34:28,356 --> 00:34:29,396
Speaker 4: were writing.

667
00:34:29,076 --> 00:34:30,396
Speaker 3: It for loved it.

668
00:34:30,916 --> 00:34:33,916
Speaker 4: And that's how we put together the Age of Pleasure.

669
00:34:34,436 --> 00:34:37,796
Speaker 4: We had Nona Quabina who worked on some of the music,

670
00:34:37,836 --> 00:34:41,196
Speaker 4: who's also a DJ, and our friends with everyday people.

671
00:34:41,196 --> 00:34:43,116
Speaker 3: I don't know if you know about everyday people parties.

672
00:34:43,356 --> 00:34:46,316
Speaker 1: I've not bet, but like I have to give a

673
00:34:46,316 --> 00:34:50,436
Speaker 1: shout out Pleasure Science. I've been working hard.

674
00:34:51,036 --> 00:34:53,076
Speaker 4: I have to give them a shout out because during

675
00:34:53,076 --> 00:34:55,636
Speaker 4: the pandemic, they couldn't find a place, you know, to

676
00:34:55,676 --> 00:34:57,996
Speaker 4: have their parties. And when I say parties, it's not

677
00:34:58,196 --> 00:35:02,196
Speaker 4: just like I mean everybody's dancing and singing and having

678
00:35:02,236 --> 00:35:04,436
Speaker 4: a good time, but people are feeding each other at

679
00:35:04,436 --> 00:35:06,476
Speaker 4: the parties like their food vendors.

680
00:35:06,796 --> 00:35:07,916
Speaker 3: It's the diaspora.

681
00:35:07,996 --> 00:35:13,516
Speaker 4: It's Pan African is from around the globe from you know, Nigeria, Ghana,

682
00:35:13,916 --> 00:35:18,436
Speaker 4: the Caribbeans, Jamaica, Atlanta, New York, LA and Cape verd

683
00:35:18,756 --> 00:35:22,316
Speaker 4: like all in one place. It's just nothing like going

684
00:35:22,356 --> 00:35:24,116
Speaker 4: to their parties. And so when they asked they had

685
00:35:24,116 --> 00:35:26,396
Speaker 4: come by Wonderland, they were like, you know, they were

686
00:35:26,436 --> 00:35:28,556
Speaker 4: having a hard time getting the space, and we were like,

687
00:35:28,796 --> 00:35:33,676
Speaker 4: come here, shoot, let's figure it out because we're we're

688
00:35:33,676 --> 00:35:35,916
Speaker 4: going through it too, like not being able to see people,

689
00:35:36,596 --> 00:35:37,596
Speaker 4: like how can we do this?

690
00:35:37,716 --> 00:35:39,916
Speaker 3: And that was a was it a bob?

691
00:35:40,036 --> 00:35:42,796
Speaker 1: You had to know who was coming or okay, right?

692
00:35:42,916 --> 00:35:43,236
Speaker 3: For sure?

693
00:35:43,276 --> 00:35:45,396
Speaker 1: It was very small because I would be a little.

694
00:35:45,396 --> 00:35:47,116
Speaker 3: Yeah it was. We needed to know.

695
00:35:47,356 --> 00:35:48,516
Speaker 2: It was small and it was safe.

696
00:35:48,756 --> 00:35:51,636
Speaker 4: Yeah, safe and small, And and that's where the music

697
00:35:51,716 --> 00:35:54,836
Speaker 4: was tested first hearing all of the backstory.

698
00:35:55,556 --> 00:35:57,116
Speaker 1: I'm just gonna say it because I feel like it's

699
00:35:57,116 --> 00:36:01,636
Speaker 1: even in the music, like a more human album. It's

700
00:36:01,676 --> 00:36:03,916
Speaker 1: funny because as we're moving into an age now more

701
00:36:03,996 --> 00:36:06,596
Speaker 1: the future looks a little bleaker in terms of technology.

702
00:36:06,956 --> 00:36:10,236
Speaker 1: I feel like you might have called that a little early.

703
00:36:11,036 --> 00:36:15,196
Speaker 1: And it feels like the project away from computer and

704
00:36:15,716 --> 00:36:18,836
Speaker 1: arch Android and Metropolis and like this tomorrow it feels

705
00:36:18,876 --> 00:36:23,596
Speaker 1: like Janelle the person you know, or it feels like

706
00:36:23,676 --> 00:36:25,956
Speaker 1: to me listening to it, like I even just feel

707
00:36:25,956 --> 00:36:27,756
Speaker 1: myself coming a lot more, just feeling more than me,

708
00:36:27,956 --> 00:36:29,276
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. I know a lot of

709
00:36:29,316 --> 00:36:31,956
Speaker 1: people who've listened to the record, a lot of friends,

710
00:36:31,956 --> 00:36:34,636
Speaker 1: a lot of people. They're saying that like it makes

711
00:36:34,676 --> 00:36:38,476
Speaker 1: them feel a particular way as a living creature, you know.

712
00:36:39,436 --> 00:36:43,196
Speaker 5: Yeah, you know, from the beginning, there was this conversation

713
00:36:43,316 --> 00:36:48,356
Speaker 5: around android rights. Yeah, and Cindy was always being was

714
00:36:48,396 --> 00:36:52,596
Speaker 5: always fighting to be perceived as a human and to

715
00:36:52,596 --> 00:36:55,436
Speaker 5: be respected as a human. So I guess there's a

716
00:36:55,476 --> 00:36:59,756
Speaker 5: certain truthfulness to being like, yeah, you're a human and

717
00:36:59,836 --> 00:37:00,476
Speaker 5: kind of being like.

718
00:37:00,756 --> 00:37:04,916
Speaker 4: Yeah, finally, I mean the definition of an android. And

719
00:37:04,956 --> 00:37:06,996
Speaker 4: if you're listening and you don't know any of my work,

720
00:37:07,036 --> 00:37:10,476
Speaker 4: it's rooted around Cindy May whether who represents the other

721
00:37:10,716 --> 00:37:13,676
Speaker 4: and the other is a parallel, you know, the android

722
00:37:13,756 --> 00:37:17,036
Speaker 4: is a parallel to black folks to you know, marginalize

723
00:37:17,076 --> 00:37:20,996
Speaker 4: folks that I want to amplify, the voices I want

724
00:37:20,996 --> 00:37:24,236
Speaker 4: to amplify and the music I want to write. The

725
00:37:24,276 --> 00:37:29,076
Speaker 4: definition of an android is a robot developing human characteristics.

726
00:37:29,356 --> 00:37:32,916
Speaker 4: So I really think it tells such a continuation of

727
00:37:32,956 --> 00:37:37,596
Speaker 4: beautiful continuation of the story, and it's not finished. It's

728
00:37:37,676 --> 00:37:40,996
Speaker 4: very trippy to see because when I put out Metropolis,

729
00:37:41,036 --> 00:37:43,876
Speaker 4: we were reading The Singularity is near by Ray Kurzweil,

730
00:37:44,436 --> 00:37:46,636
Speaker 4: and if you haven't read that, please do. But it

731
00:37:46,676 --> 00:37:48,836
Speaker 4: talks about this moment that we're having with AI, and

732
00:37:48,876 --> 00:37:51,356
Speaker 4: it talks about the singularity of like not being able

733
00:37:51,396 --> 00:37:56,676
Speaker 4: to differentiate AI recording the song by Janelle Monne or

734
00:37:56,756 --> 00:38:01,196
Speaker 4: Janelle Monet really mapping out that voice. And it's so

735
00:38:01,316 --> 00:38:05,236
Speaker 4: interesting that it's happening now. And when I think about

736
00:38:05,236 --> 00:38:08,996
Speaker 4: the album, how I hate to say it, we knew

737
00:38:08,996 --> 00:38:15,196
Speaker 4: that that when this moment of integration happens, humans were

738
00:38:15,236 --> 00:38:17,396
Speaker 4: going to be frantic about it, as you can see

739
00:38:17,436 --> 00:38:19,596
Speaker 4: right now, Like it's a lot going on in my

740
00:38:19,716 --> 00:38:23,956
Speaker 4: business when it comes to using the likeness of an

741
00:38:23,996 --> 00:38:29,236
Speaker 4: actor's face without paying them, like AIS in that conversation heavily,

742
00:38:29,276 --> 00:38:31,716
Speaker 4: and people are afraid and they're scared and I totally

743
00:38:32,596 --> 00:38:34,996
Speaker 4: get that, and I also think that there needs to

744
00:38:35,036 --> 00:38:38,276
Speaker 4: be more conversation and more laws and things rules to

745
00:38:38,436 --> 00:38:41,236
Speaker 4: really be agreed upon, because not all humans.

746
00:38:40,876 --> 00:38:43,556
Speaker 3: Are bad and not all AI is bad.

747
00:38:43,636 --> 00:38:45,116
Speaker 4: So I think that there needs to be a real

748
00:38:45,276 --> 00:38:50,356
Speaker 4: conversation around who's programming AI. But the thing that I

749
00:38:50,436 --> 00:38:53,396
Speaker 4: realized in knowing that the Singularity was going to happen

750
00:38:53,796 --> 00:38:56,636
Speaker 4: was that it's nothing like that human in human connection.

751
00:38:57,716 --> 00:39:00,436
Speaker 4: It was so important for us to gather and have

752
00:39:00,516 --> 00:39:05,756
Speaker 4: experiences that cannot be created by AI. We can only

753
00:39:05,836 --> 00:39:10,676
Speaker 4: have these the barbecue experiences, you know, sharing food together,

754
00:39:11,796 --> 00:39:14,316
Speaker 4: wrapping our arms around each other, being there for each other,

755
00:39:14,356 --> 00:39:19,476
Speaker 4: and these times, these are moments that humans have such

756
00:39:19,556 --> 00:39:23,276
Speaker 4: a deep connection to and can talk about in ways

757
00:39:23,316 --> 00:39:26,156
Speaker 4: that AI can. And that was my hope too, is

758
00:39:26,196 --> 00:39:30,476
Speaker 4: to encourage more community, to encourage people to be with

759
00:39:30,556 --> 00:39:34,476
Speaker 4: each other like our stories are all we have. It

760
00:39:34,556 --> 00:39:37,476
Speaker 4: is our stories that will set us apart and continue

761
00:39:37,516 --> 00:39:39,796
Speaker 4: to make us believe in humanity again.

762
00:39:40,596 --> 00:39:44,676
Speaker 1: Yeah, how have you guys playing guitar on the steps,

763
00:39:44,956 --> 00:39:47,036
Speaker 1: barely finishing college, having to shot out some money to

764
00:39:47,116 --> 00:39:51,196
Speaker 1: do it? You guys found each other over those years,

765
00:39:51,236 --> 00:39:53,796
Speaker 1: you guys have amassed a body of work, all very

766
00:39:53,836 --> 00:39:56,276
Speaker 1: different from each other, genre less. As you said from

767
00:39:56,316 --> 00:40:01,516
Speaker 1: the beginning, money comes success time, new people, new relationships,

768
00:40:01,556 --> 00:40:06,396
Speaker 1: new opportunities. It's incredible to me that you guys have

769
00:40:06,476 --> 00:40:08,756
Speaker 1: managed to stay close.

770
00:40:09,156 --> 00:40:17,196
Speaker 6: There you go, Yeah, separate the legal entity of the

771
00:40:17,236 --> 00:40:20,836
Speaker 6: Rolling Stones, you know, it's like, yeah, I have no

772
00:40:20,996 --> 00:40:22,356
Speaker 6: real responsibility to each other.

773
00:40:23,956 --> 00:40:24,836
Speaker 2: We do, but we do.

774
00:40:24,996 --> 00:40:28,196
Speaker 3: Yeah, but that's very I'm happy that you brought that up.

775
00:40:28,236 --> 00:40:29,236
Speaker 3: It's so true.

776
00:40:29,276 --> 00:40:31,996
Speaker 4: And when I look at some of the collectives, and

777
00:40:32,276 --> 00:40:34,076
Speaker 4: you know, we don't have to dig into names, but

778
00:40:34,276 --> 00:40:38,796
Speaker 4: even even some of the most iconic collectives ended up

779
00:40:38,836 --> 00:40:41,676
Speaker 4: not working with each other anymore. And I just remember

780
00:40:41,716 --> 00:40:44,596
Speaker 4: the time when they were and how that felt, and

781
00:40:45,076 --> 00:40:47,596
Speaker 4: how I felt when it wasn't the case anymore. And

782
00:40:47,636 --> 00:40:51,596
Speaker 4: I just it always was important to me to nurture

783
00:40:51,636 --> 00:40:54,756
Speaker 4: my relationships, like I invest in people, you know, not

784
00:40:54,876 --> 00:40:59,556
Speaker 4: because they're of course, everybody is very talented, but I

785
00:40:59,556 --> 00:41:02,876
Speaker 4: think they're really really great people who happened to be

786
00:41:03,076 --> 00:41:06,316
Speaker 4: very talented. And when you come from a big family

787
00:41:06,396 --> 00:41:09,756
Speaker 4: like me, I have forty nine first cousins, so I

788
00:41:09,876 --> 00:41:12,996
Speaker 4: was brought into a community, you know that runs through

789
00:41:12,996 --> 00:41:17,276
Speaker 4: my blood. And it's loyalty, and it's growth and transparency

790
00:41:17,436 --> 00:41:21,796
Speaker 4: and communication and all those things in respect as somebody

791
00:41:21,836 --> 00:41:25,476
Speaker 4: who has ideas, obviously, I'll always have the final say

792
00:41:25,516 --> 00:41:27,596
Speaker 4: if we're working on something with what I want to do,

793
00:41:27,716 --> 00:41:28,556
Speaker 4: you know, on my music.

794
00:41:28,916 --> 00:41:30,516
Speaker 3: But I love listening.

795
00:41:30,716 --> 00:41:33,356
Speaker 4: I love being able to hear how Nate's mind is working,

796
00:41:33,436 --> 00:41:36,236
Speaker 4: to hear how Chuck's mind is working. Since a bueno

797
00:41:36,396 --> 00:41:40,156
Speaker 4: is thinking none no, like I love to see how

798
00:41:40,156 --> 00:41:44,636
Speaker 4: they interpret certain things and how they sharpen my sword

799
00:41:44,916 --> 00:41:47,356
Speaker 4: you know when it is time to creatively fight for

800
00:41:47,396 --> 00:41:47,876
Speaker 4: an idea.

801
00:41:49,756 --> 00:41:50,396
Speaker 3: So I love that.

802
00:41:50,516 --> 00:41:55,756
Speaker 4: I love what this community has done, not just for

803
00:41:55,876 --> 00:41:56,916
Speaker 4: me before the rest of the.

804
00:41:56,876 --> 00:42:02,676
Speaker 5: World quests love for us aside a few years ago

805
00:42:03,196 --> 00:42:06,276
Speaker 5: and he was like, listen, man, you guys have something

806
00:42:06,316 --> 00:42:10,436
Speaker 5: really really special. But just so you know the most

807
00:42:10,436 --> 00:42:13,796
Speaker 5: important thing you guys can do, just trust me on this.

808
00:42:14,076 --> 00:42:19,156
Speaker 5: Just stay together. Just stay together. And he went through

809
00:42:19,196 --> 00:42:22,396
Speaker 5: his stories of what happened, like all the things that

810
00:42:22,516 --> 00:42:26,556
Speaker 5: happen to you can change you. But just know that

811
00:42:26,596 --> 00:42:29,036
Speaker 5: you guys have something very special and it's worth protecting.

812
00:42:29,396 --> 00:42:34,196
Speaker 5: Stay together. Don't get distracted by whatever else comes. Just

813
00:42:34,236 --> 00:42:38,276
Speaker 5: stay together. And the other thing is that we have

814
00:42:38,436 --> 00:42:43,756
Speaker 5: this credo, a Wonderland credo that was written a long time.

815
00:42:43,556 --> 00:42:45,876
Speaker 2: Ago, like very very early.

816
00:42:45,956 --> 00:42:51,516
Speaker 5: And in there it discusses our responsibility to each other

817
00:42:52,476 --> 00:42:54,876
Speaker 5: and to our broader community, but.

818
00:42:54,956 --> 00:42:57,036
Speaker 2: Specifically to each other.

819
00:42:57,836 --> 00:43:00,236
Speaker 5: How we need to take care of each other, how

820
00:43:00,276 --> 00:43:03,836
Speaker 5: we need to look after each other. Those basic things

821
00:43:03,956 --> 00:43:08,076
Speaker 5: are written into our credo of how we understand Wonderland.

822
00:43:09,276 --> 00:43:13,036
Speaker 5: Like at its foundation it must at least be a

823
00:43:13,036 --> 00:43:18,196
Speaker 5: community or artists can be taken care of and of

824
00:43:18,236 --> 00:43:20,476
Speaker 5: course challenge each other around our ideas, but that we

825
00:43:20,516 --> 00:43:23,436
Speaker 5: feel at least safe to have our ideas.

826
00:43:23,636 --> 00:43:26,876
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's how you make your best music again, when

827
00:43:26,916 --> 00:43:29,436
Speaker 4: you feel safe with the people that you're with, Like

828
00:43:29,476 --> 00:43:34,076
Speaker 4: when you feel like you can just go there and

829
00:43:34,916 --> 00:43:38,156
Speaker 4: try new shit out like fall in love with music,

830
00:43:38,156 --> 00:43:39,556
Speaker 4: fall in love with art, And I think that's what

831
00:43:39,556 --> 00:43:40,916
Speaker 4: we love at our core.

832
00:43:41,436 --> 00:43:44,276
Speaker 1: First of all, you guys are living the dream. I

833
00:43:44,276 --> 00:43:47,316
Speaker 1: mean that you guys found each other. It's hard.

834
00:43:47,796 --> 00:43:52,236
Speaker 3: Let me say, it is hard work. It is not easy.

835
00:43:52,836 --> 00:43:54,676
Speaker 2: Art is hard.

836
00:43:54,756 --> 00:43:59,396
Speaker 4: Depending on what process you're in, it can be frustrating

837
00:43:59,596 --> 00:44:02,636
Speaker 4: and just like you can lose your confidence and second

838
00:44:02,716 --> 00:44:05,276
Speaker 4: guess yourself, or you could be having the best time

839
00:44:05,316 --> 00:44:06,876
Speaker 4: of your life. You wake back up and listen to

840
00:44:06,916 --> 00:44:10,436
Speaker 4: that demo or you wrote the night before, you're like, oh,

841
00:44:10,436 --> 00:44:13,396
Speaker 4: this ship is fire, like thank God, and you play

842
00:44:13,396 --> 00:44:15,436
Speaker 4: it for people outside you know, who were not a

843
00:44:15,476 --> 00:44:18,076
Speaker 4: part of the process, and you get that feedback. It

844
00:44:18,076 --> 00:44:21,676
Speaker 4: can be disappointing or it can be like, Yes, when

845
00:44:21,716 --> 00:44:21,876
Speaker 4: do you.

846
00:44:21,916 --> 00:44:23,956
Speaker 1: Start playing stuff for Is it usually like earlier in

847
00:44:23,996 --> 00:44:26,556
Speaker 1: the process, or is it like.

848
00:44:25,916 --> 00:44:27,596
Speaker 3: I try to play as early as possible.

849
00:44:27,916 --> 00:44:29,556
Speaker 2: I like people seeing in the studio when I'm working

850
00:44:29,556 --> 00:44:29,956
Speaker 2: on music.

851
00:44:29,996 --> 00:44:30,596
Speaker 1: I gotta feel that.

852
00:44:31,196 --> 00:44:32,396
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's different. I don't know.

853
00:44:33,116 --> 00:44:35,476
Speaker 4: But but with Age of Pleasure, I was more open.

854
00:44:35,756 --> 00:44:38,156
Speaker 4: But with all my other albums I would be in

855
00:44:38,196 --> 00:44:40,516
Speaker 4: their engineering myself. I engineer myself a lot on this

856
00:44:40,556 --> 00:44:41,156
Speaker 4: project too.

857
00:44:41,596 --> 00:44:43,276
Speaker 1: Yeah, just because you wanted to be.

858
00:44:43,036 --> 00:44:46,076
Speaker 5: Because I needed When she goes in, yah, it's like

859
00:44:46,516 --> 00:44:50,796
Speaker 5: close it and Janelle go in there and will engineer.

860
00:44:50,876 --> 00:44:52,796
Speaker 4: And then I'll call them back in like once I

861
00:44:52,836 --> 00:44:55,356
Speaker 4: have all my takes that I feel like are highlighted

862
00:44:55,436 --> 00:44:58,156
Speaker 4: and good, or I'll ask them to highlight in green,

863
00:44:58,276 --> 00:45:00,716
Speaker 4: like which ones you think are the best. But I'm

864
00:45:00,716 --> 00:45:03,436
Speaker 4: always searching for that feeling, and sometimes I need to

865
00:45:03,436 --> 00:45:04,676
Speaker 4: be alone to get that feeling.

866
00:45:05,156 --> 00:45:08,356
Speaker 1: Yeah, we're gonna pause for another quick break and then

867
00:45:08,396 --> 00:45:11,636
Speaker 1: come back with more from Nate Wonder and Janelle Monee.

868
00:45:16,076 --> 00:45:18,516
Speaker 1: We're back with the rest of my conversation with Nate

869
00:45:18,596 --> 00:45:22,436
Speaker 1: Wonder and Janelle Monee. We were talking about the diaspora

870
00:45:22,476 --> 00:45:26,116
Speaker 1: earlier and one of the beautiful that on the album

871
00:45:26,596 --> 00:45:30,116
Speaker 1: Daspa was like really represented from Sam Coudie, Yes to

872
00:45:31,076 --> 00:45:35,436
Speaker 1: uh to Sister Nancy, Nancy Grace Jones, uh.

873
00:45:39,036 --> 00:45:44,556
Speaker 2: K K Doms Unlimited.

874
00:45:44,796 --> 00:45:47,676
Speaker 3: From Atlanta to Ghana, to Nigeria to Jamaica and so on.

875
00:45:47,716 --> 00:45:50,236
Speaker 2: I mean, it's just we're so friends on there.

876
00:45:50,596 --> 00:45:52,316
Speaker 3: Yeah, some of the musicians talking.

877
00:45:52,756 --> 00:45:55,156
Speaker 1: Yeah, and what did those come from?

878
00:45:55,236 --> 00:45:58,436
Speaker 4: Corey hen from us so French the French seventy five

879
00:45:58,716 --> 00:46:03,436
Speaker 4: is us in New Orleans during Essence Fest, not this

880
00:46:03,556 --> 00:46:06,916
Speaker 4: year but last year and we were we woke up

881
00:46:06,956 --> 00:46:09,596
Speaker 4: and we started talking about the night that we had

882
00:46:10,116 --> 00:46:12,316
Speaker 4: and it was my first it was like my first

883
00:46:12,396 --> 00:46:15,516
Speaker 4: time getting beads and so if you've been to New Orleans,

884
00:46:15,596 --> 00:46:18,916
Speaker 4: you know what getting your beads means. Like it's so

885
00:46:19,116 --> 00:46:21,116
Speaker 4: fun and I was, it was so liberating and just

886
00:46:21,116 --> 00:46:28,236
Speaker 4: really I know, right, it involves you going down on

887
00:46:28,796 --> 00:46:31,716
Speaker 4: in the French quarters and if you lift your shirt up,

888
00:46:31,756 --> 00:46:33,436
Speaker 4: they would throw you some beads. And it's a part

889
00:46:33,516 --> 00:46:36,716
Speaker 4: of the New Orleans culture. Fun and it was freeing

890
00:46:36,756 --> 00:46:38,876
Speaker 4: because as somebody who's like, oh my god.

891
00:46:38,876 --> 00:46:40,956
Speaker 3: I'm famous, they can't do these things. I'll end up.

892
00:46:41,156 --> 00:46:46,636
Speaker 4: And nobody even really posted it until like years later. No, no, no,

893
00:46:46,636 --> 00:46:50,276
Speaker 4: nobody found it. Actually, nobody found that video. Maybe one person.

894
00:46:50,676 --> 00:46:54,556
Speaker 4: No no, no, no, not not my beads. Oh I've done that.

895
00:46:54,476 --> 00:46:55,356
Speaker 3: On several occasions.

896
00:46:55,356 --> 00:46:59,836
Speaker 4: No, it's really the beads want too. I thought, okay,

897
00:46:59,956 --> 00:47:03,116
Speaker 4: well that's awesome. It made me smile. Remember I said

898
00:47:03,116 --> 00:47:07,396
Speaker 4: this album we are smiling. This season, we are smiling.

899
00:47:08,196 --> 00:47:11,676
Speaker 4: And that being said, I wanted to just have authentic

900
00:47:11,716 --> 00:47:14,076
Speaker 4: conversations with my friends and I just asked them it

901
00:47:14,116 --> 00:47:17,476
Speaker 4: was okay if I press record, and it's just it

902
00:47:17,516 --> 00:47:21,436
Speaker 4: was authentic because the people who were there, they're really

903
00:47:21,476 --> 00:47:23,996
Speaker 4: my friends. And so to have these conversations with the

904
00:47:24,036 --> 00:47:28,516
Speaker 4: people who are directly involved in inspiring the songs and

905
00:47:28,556 --> 00:47:30,436
Speaker 4: the song writings. They were all in the studio when

906
00:47:30,436 --> 00:47:32,756
Speaker 4: we were writing them. They were the first people that

907
00:47:32,836 --> 00:47:34,436
Speaker 4: I think everybody on the interview they were some of

908
00:47:34,436 --> 00:47:36,436
Speaker 4: the first people that heard the songs. So when we

909
00:47:36,476 --> 00:47:40,356
Speaker 4: did Float to Champagne Shit, those were their ellipstic lover

910
00:47:40,916 --> 00:47:43,916
Speaker 4: Like when we were writing those songs, I always looked

911
00:47:43,916 --> 00:47:46,716
Speaker 4: at how they moved. I always looked at the body language.

912
00:47:46,716 --> 00:47:49,036
Speaker 4: I always looked at like when they would go play

913
00:47:49,076 --> 00:47:51,636
Speaker 4: other artists songs, what they asked to play this song again,

914
00:47:52,116 --> 00:47:55,076
Speaker 4: because I liked their taste and I knew that they

915
00:47:55,116 --> 00:47:59,876
Speaker 4: were like key in helping us nurture that audience that

916
00:47:59,916 --> 00:48:00,596
Speaker 4: we wanted.

917
00:48:00,596 --> 00:48:02,836
Speaker 1: Like what we would example, something you might have tweeked it.

918
00:48:03,396 --> 00:48:06,236
Speaker 1: So you're looking at your friends playing on they might

919
00:48:06,276 --> 00:48:10,836
Speaker 1: not quite groove the way you expect. Yeah, so what

920
00:48:10,876 --> 00:48:12,876
Speaker 1: do you do? You just go back in and you

921
00:48:12,916 --> 00:48:13,476
Speaker 1: know what, I.

922
00:48:13,396 --> 00:48:15,236
Speaker 3: Don't feel like we had a lot of those moments

923
00:48:15,236 --> 00:48:15,436
Speaker 3: with it.

924
00:48:15,716 --> 00:48:18,156
Speaker 5: Only I know one song that that happened with and

925
00:48:18,196 --> 00:48:20,796
Speaker 5: we changed. It didn't come we were in the middle

926
00:48:20,796 --> 00:48:21,996
Speaker 5: of trying to figure the song out.

927
00:48:22,356 --> 00:48:23,156
Speaker 2: It was hot.

928
00:48:23,356 --> 00:48:25,036
Speaker 1: Okay, YEA changed that one.

929
00:48:25,156 --> 00:48:26,756
Speaker 3: Yeah, that was a lot.

930
00:48:27,596 --> 00:48:31,716
Speaker 4: Yeah, there's actually a David Bowie vocal that was supposed

931
00:48:31,716 --> 00:48:32,236
Speaker 4: to go on that.

932
00:48:32,676 --> 00:48:34,556
Speaker 5: It was a quote from an interview that he had

933
00:48:34,596 --> 00:48:38,596
Speaker 5: done that right after right after Janelle says, uh, they

934
00:48:38,596 --> 00:48:41,396
Speaker 5: say I look better than David Bowie and the moon

935
00:48:41,436 --> 00:48:42,276
Speaker 5: Age Dream.

936
00:48:42,876 --> 00:48:44,036
Speaker 2: There's this quote line.

937
00:48:44,076 --> 00:48:45,196
Speaker 1: I love that line.

938
00:48:45,076 --> 00:48:49,836
Speaker 2: Because I think Edward had taken us to the movies.

939
00:48:49,516 --> 00:48:53,716
Speaker 5: To see moon Aed's day Dream because he knew Janelle

940
00:48:53,756 --> 00:48:54,436
Speaker 5: was a huge fan.

941
00:48:54,676 --> 00:48:57,876
Speaker 3: I oh, you took everybody.

942
00:48:57,876 --> 00:49:01,156
Speaker 5: I'm sorry, you took everybody to see the David boy

943
00:49:01,196 --> 00:49:02,476
Speaker 5: film moon AG's day Dream.

944
00:49:02,516 --> 00:49:03,676
Speaker 1: You said Edward Norton.

945
00:49:03,916 --> 00:49:06,596
Speaker 4: Yeah, because we had just so when I when we

946
00:49:06,636 --> 00:49:09,676
Speaker 4: wrote the Age of Pleasure. Right before that, I just

947
00:49:10,196 --> 00:49:15,316
Speaker 4: filmed The Glass Onion and we were in Greece and Serbia,

948
00:49:15,796 --> 00:49:18,956
Speaker 4: and I was having Nate send me music there because

949
00:49:18,996 --> 00:49:22,956
Speaker 4: I was like, when I get back, I'm writing this album. Yeah,

950
00:49:22,996 --> 00:49:26,116
Speaker 4: I'm writing this album. I'm so inspired. I know I'm

951
00:49:26,276 --> 00:49:29,916
Speaker 4: clear on where I am, who I am, and what.

952
00:49:29,836 --> 00:49:30,436
Speaker 3: I need to do.

953
00:49:30,916 --> 00:49:32,676
Speaker 4: And so he sent me all the music of some

954
00:49:32,716 --> 00:49:34,716
Speaker 4: of the musical beds and I picked what I loved

955
00:49:34,756 --> 00:49:37,316
Speaker 4: and liked. As soon as I got back, I was

956
00:49:37,316 --> 00:49:37,876
Speaker 4: in the studio.

957
00:49:37,956 --> 00:49:40,276
Speaker 1: It's poetic that you're working on the Glass Onion and

958
00:49:40,316 --> 00:49:41,836
Speaker 1: you're coming clear about.

959
00:49:41,556 --> 00:49:42,236
Speaker 2: Who you are.

960
00:49:43,076 --> 00:49:43,316
Speaker 1: Clear.

961
00:49:44,716 --> 00:49:51,956
Speaker 4: It's like pull back the layer. Yeah, So David boy quote.

962
00:49:51,956 --> 00:49:55,076
Speaker 4: It says, I think it's terribly dangerous for an artist

963
00:49:55,156 --> 00:49:57,156
Speaker 4: to fulfill other people's expectations.

964
00:49:57,596 --> 00:49:58,956
Speaker 3: If you feel safe.

965
00:49:58,676 --> 00:50:01,596
Speaker 4: In the area you're working in, you're not working in

966
00:50:01,636 --> 00:50:05,556
Speaker 4: the right area. Always go a little further into the water.

967
00:50:06,316 --> 00:50:09,556
Speaker 4: Then you feel you're capable of being in a little

968
00:50:10,236 --> 00:50:13,716
Speaker 4: bit out of your own depth. And when you don't

969
00:50:13,756 --> 00:50:16,556
Speaker 4: feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you're

970
00:50:16,596 --> 00:50:19,756
Speaker 4: just about in the right place to do something exciting.

971
00:50:20,316 --> 00:50:22,756
Speaker 5: Yeah, So that was the end of that was the

972
00:50:22,836 --> 00:50:24,836
Speaker 5: quote that was on the in the record.

973
00:50:24,876 --> 00:50:26,036
Speaker 3: We should put that back in time.

974
00:50:26,836 --> 00:50:28,756
Speaker 5: It was great, but of course, like when you're at

975
00:50:28,756 --> 00:50:32,116
Speaker 5: a party, you may not want to go into the like.

976
00:50:32,236 --> 00:50:33,196
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was just like.

977
00:50:35,116 --> 00:50:35,516
Speaker 1: Appreciate.

978
00:50:36,876 --> 00:50:42,876
Speaker 3: I don't know if you've seen it, but it's really incredible.

979
00:50:43,996 --> 00:50:47,756
Speaker 4: Because this is somebody who, like myself, you know, is

980
00:50:47,796 --> 00:50:52,316
Speaker 4: a world builder. Yeah, and somebody who believed like Ziggy

981
00:50:52,356 --> 00:50:55,276
Speaker 4: Starred Us and the Spiders from Mars, gave me the

982
00:50:55,356 --> 00:50:58,796
Speaker 4: courage to do Cindy Mayweather in Metropolis and the Arc

983
00:50:58,876 --> 00:51:03,756
Speaker 4: Android and to create these versions of ourselves, you know,

984
00:51:04,076 --> 00:51:09,996
Speaker 4: these thousand versions of myself and we're all fine. That's

985
00:51:10,036 --> 00:51:12,076
Speaker 4: if you don't know that's from Phenomenal on the Age

986
00:51:12,116 --> 00:51:14,996
Speaker 4: of Pleasure. Sorry, so so to be able to watch

987
00:51:15,116 --> 00:51:17,916
Speaker 4: him say, I know that I could be Ziggie Startles

988
00:51:17,916 --> 00:51:21,316
Speaker 4: for the rest of my life, or I can become

989
00:51:21,356 --> 00:51:23,556
Speaker 4: more of who I am and give you that and

990
00:51:23,596 --> 00:51:26,436
Speaker 4: not be afraid, you know, to break it down and

991
00:51:26,516 --> 00:51:29,796
Speaker 4: rebuild and reimagine who I can be. So that really

992
00:51:29,836 --> 00:51:31,756
Speaker 4: also helped inspire me as well.

993
00:51:32,476 --> 00:51:34,236
Speaker 1: Did you ever get a chance to meet him?

994
00:51:34,876 --> 00:51:37,836
Speaker 4: I feel like I did. I feel like our spirits

995
00:51:37,876 --> 00:51:40,516
Speaker 4: absolutely met each other. I know that he knew who

996
00:51:40,556 --> 00:51:43,236
Speaker 4: I was because I did a cover of heroes and

997
00:51:43,276 --> 00:51:45,916
Speaker 4: his wife Emon told me and he had to clear it.

998
00:51:46,196 --> 00:51:48,916
Speaker 4: And his wife told me that he really loved me,

999
00:51:49,436 --> 00:51:51,156
Speaker 4: And I was like, oh, I wish I could have

1000
00:51:51,356 --> 00:51:52,956
Speaker 4: told him how much I really loved him. But I

1001
00:51:53,036 --> 00:51:55,036
Speaker 4: think he knows it. They are aware.

1002
00:51:55,476 --> 00:51:59,956
Speaker 1: Yeah, did you putty naturally fall into I mean, twenty nineteen,

1003
00:51:59,996 --> 00:52:03,036
Speaker 1: you feeling like you want to start writing for women

1004
00:52:03,996 --> 00:52:08,316
Speaker 1: people calor non binary folk. Was it easy to slide

1005
00:52:08,356 --> 00:52:10,196
Speaker 1: into that mentality? Was it easy to stike?

1006
00:52:11,436 --> 00:52:15,196
Speaker 5: I felt compelled and again, and when I feel compelled,

1007
00:52:15,276 --> 00:52:16,876
Speaker 5: I'm like, man, I'm doing it?

1008
00:52:16,916 --> 00:52:19,396
Speaker 1: Was it a messy star did it feel always right.

1009
00:52:19,396 --> 00:52:21,556
Speaker 3: Or natural to fill myself playlist?

1010
00:52:21,636 --> 00:52:23,356
Speaker 2: Yeah? Oh yeah, that really encouraged me.

1011
00:52:23,436 --> 00:52:25,916
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean both of us had the same thought.

1012
00:52:26,396 --> 00:52:28,676
Speaker 4: So we were listening to Spotify. We had an opportunity

1013
00:52:28,716 --> 00:52:30,356
Speaker 4: to listen to a lot of music. I start back

1014
00:52:30,396 --> 00:52:33,676
Speaker 4: working out and there were a lot of black women

1015
00:52:33,756 --> 00:52:38,356
Speaker 4: on this playlist that were just like sounding extra liberated

1016
00:52:38,436 --> 00:52:44,356
Speaker 4: and super tapped into their well of honesty and truth

1017
00:52:44,476 --> 00:52:49,796
Speaker 4: and sensuality and sexuality and grit and softness and hardness.

1018
00:52:49,836 --> 00:52:53,636
Speaker 4: Like I loved hearing that all on one playlist, and

1019
00:52:53,676 --> 00:52:57,396
Speaker 4: it encouraged me to tap into my many different sides.

1020
00:52:57,436 --> 00:53:00,316
Speaker 4: And I think Nate would see me listening to Filling

1021
00:53:00,316 --> 00:53:04,436
Speaker 4: myself playlists around the studio and as I was working out,

1022
00:53:04,476 --> 00:53:07,116
Speaker 4: and it was like, I've never remembered and that's the

1023
00:53:07,116 --> 00:53:11,196
Speaker 4: beautiful thing with playlists and really curate your own world,

1024
00:53:11,956 --> 00:53:14,596
Speaker 4: your own soundtrack. And when I felt that vibe, I

1025
00:53:14,636 --> 00:53:16,316
Speaker 4: was like, I want more of this, and I want

1026
00:53:16,316 --> 00:53:18,796
Speaker 4: the people that are listening to this who are feeling

1027
00:53:19,436 --> 00:53:24,036
Speaker 4: like they have not been able to walk in their

1028
00:53:24,116 --> 00:53:28,636
Speaker 4: greatness as black women, as non bininary folks, as marginalized people.

1029
00:53:28,756 --> 00:53:31,756
Speaker 3: They haven't been able to really own all of them.

1030
00:53:32,276 --> 00:53:34,836
Speaker 4: I want to lead by example and I want I

1031
00:53:34,876 --> 00:53:37,356
Speaker 4: want to highlight them. I want and highlight them by

1032
00:53:37,396 --> 00:53:39,596
Speaker 4: creating music that speaks to their hearts.

1033
00:53:39,716 --> 00:53:40,796
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, you.

1034
00:53:40,796 --> 00:53:44,636
Speaker 1: Know, I got your daughters, and I don't want them

1035
00:53:44,676 --> 00:53:48,396
Speaker 1: to feel ashamed of pleasure or whatever, like as they

1036
00:53:48,396 --> 00:53:51,556
Speaker 1: get older and ornot and it's like, ye, but society

1037
00:53:51,596 --> 00:53:52,156
Speaker 1: for so you.

1038
00:53:52,156 --> 00:53:55,876
Speaker 5: Know, and it's still that it's still a lot of

1039
00:53:55,916 --> 00:53:57,916
Speaker 5: work to be done in that area. But you know,

1040
00:53:57,996 --> 00:54:02,836
Speaker 5: one of the things I noted was that playlist. Like

1041
00:54:03,516 --> 00:54:06,996
Speaker 5: when you go to like a rap Caviaar or the

1042
00:54:07,116 --> 00:54:09,996
Speaker 5: other like big hip hop, the biggest hip hop playlist,

1043
00:54:10,316 --> 00:54:12,876
Speaker 5: sometimes they'll even have like a woman on the cover.

1044
00:54:13,436 --> 00:54:17,876
Speaker 5: But then you go through the actual playlist, it literally,

1045
00:54:17,916 --> 00:54:19,876
Speaker 5: out of one hundred songs, it might be like three

1046
00:54:20,836 --> 00:54:24,196
Speaker 5: songs by women, and it really I just took so

1047
00:54:24,276 --> 00:54:25,356
Speaker 5: much issue with it.

1048
00:54:26,236 --> 00:54:28,356
Speaker 2: I was just like, this is wild.

1049
00:54:28,956 --> 00:54:31,236
Speaker 5: Yeah, Like literally they'll put Megan thee Stallion on the

1050
00:54:31,276 --> 00:54:33,396
Speaker 5: cover of it, and then I to go like down

1051
00:54:33,876 --> 00:54:35,556
Speaker 5: thirty songs to get to her song.

1052
00:54:35,676 --> 00:54:37,876
Speaker 2: It's like, this is graz this is wow.

1053
00:54:38,076 --> 00:54:39,876
Speaker 4: And that was another reason why we wanted to make

1054
00:54:39,876 --> 00:54:43,916
Speaker 4: sure that you know, black women were represented on this

1055
00:54:43,956 --> 00:54:51,956
Speaker 4: project generationally, from Dochi to you know, the King of Jamaica, Grace.

1056
00:54:51,756 --> 00:54:55,676
Speaker 1: Jones, Grace's albums really album Come on exactly. Yeah, ridiculous.

1057
00:54:55,756 --> 00:54:56,596
Speaker 3: Let me tell you she.

1058
00:54:57,276 --> 00:54:59,356
Speaker 4: I spent seventy two hours with Grace Jones. That's how

1059
00:54:59,396 --> 00:55:00,196
Speaker 4: we got her on the album.

1060
00:55:00,316 --> 00:55:02,956
Speaker 1: I was going to sall you got it, you don't money.

1061
00:55:03,876 --> 00:55:08,156
Speaker 3: I'm still like just.

1062
00:55:06,996 --> 00:55:10,556
Speaker 4: Bowing down to her. Seventy two hours with her where

1063
00:55:10,556 --> 00:55:11,596
Speaker 4: I was like, oh my god.

1064
00:55:12,196 --> 00:55:12,716
Speaker 1: Come together.

1065
00:55:13,036 --> 00:55:17,116
Speaker 4: So I went to her at the Hollywood Bowl and

1066
00:55:17,996 --> 00:55:20,356
Speaker 4: I ended up. She was somehow it's like her life

1067
00:55:20,396 --> 00:55:22,996
Speaker 4: on her last songs and they were calling people on stage,

1068
00:55:23,036 --> 00:55:24,916
Speaker 4: and of course I'm a jump on stage.

1069
00:55:25,436 --> 00:55:26,556
Speaker 3: And if you look online.

1070
00:55:27,156 --> 00:55:29,836
Speaker 4: If you look online, you will see there's a video

1071
00:55:30,076 --> 00:55:33,676
Speaker 4: of me running through Grace Jones' legs, her smacking my

1072
00:55:33,836 --> 00:55:38,516
Speaker 4: ass us, dancing like just being the free spirits that

1073
00:55:38,596 --> 00:55:41,916
Speaker 4: we are. And I had met her years back, but

1074
00:55:41,996 --> 00:55:44,916
Speaker 4: we didn't really get to connect. And she did call me.

1075
00:55:45,036 --> 00:55:47,156
Speaker 4: She called me years back, and I was so shocked.

1076
00:55:47,156 --> 00:55:47,996
Speaker 3: I was like, how does she.

1077
00:55:47,956 --> 00:55:50,156
Speaker 4: Even get my number? And she just called me and

1078
00:55:50,236 --> 00:55:52,236
Speaker 4: she told me she loved me, and I was just like,

1079
00:55:52,396 --> 00:55:55,636
Speaker 4: I love you, but we never got to connect again

1080
00:55:55,676 --> 00:55:58,196
Speaker 4: after that. I think maybe she changed her number, you know,

1081
00:55:58,396 --> 00:56:01,116
Speaker 4: maybe she just went to another planet for the springtime.

1082
00:56:01,156 --> 00:56:02,996
Speaker 3: Who knows, it's Grace Jones.

1083
00:56:03,356 --> 00:56:06,196
Speaker 4: And so when she came this time though, we went

1084
00:56:06,196 --> 00:56:09,036
Speaker 4: backstage and we really connected and she she was.

1085
00:56:08,996 --> 00:56:10,636
Speaker 3: Just like hugging me.

1086
00:56:10,716 --> 00:56:13,276
Speaker 4: I was hugging her, and she was just saying, you know,

1087
00:56:13,356 --> 00:56:16,556
Speaker 4: I'm in town for a few days. She invited me

1088
00:56:16,716 --> 00:56:18,556
Speaker 4: to her hotel where they had like a small little

1089
00:56:18,556 --> 00:56:21,356
Speaker 4: gathering to celebrate her incredible performance live.

1090
00:56:21,596 --> 00:56:25,436
Speaker 3: If you ever get a chance, go see her. She nobody,

1091
00:56:25,596 --> 00:56:26,556
Speaker 3: nobody touches her.

1092
00:56:26,636 --> 00:56:28,476
Speaker 1: I regret not going. I was going to supposed to

1093
00:56:28,516 --> 00:56:28,836
Speaker 1: go to that.

1094
00:56:29,396 --> 00:56:31,236
Speaker 3: Always you just always say yes.

1095
00:56:31,716 --> 00:56:34,756
Speaker 4: And so that night when we went back to her hotel,

1096
00:56:34,836 --> 00:56:36,796
Speaker 4: I was like, you know, I you know, I had

1097
00:56:36,796 --> 00:56:39,476
Speaker 4: to leave, and I just said, I'm just gonna invite

1098
00:56:39,516 --> 00:56:42,916
Speaker 4: her to Wonderland. What she can just say no, and

1099
00:56:42,956 --> 00:56:44,996
Speaker 4: if she says no, I'll be like yes. Grace Jones

1100
00:56:44,996 --> 00:56:46,436
Speaker 4: told me no, Yes.

1101
00:56:47,996 --> 00:56:48,476
Speaker 3: So great.

1102
00:56:48,916 --> 00:56:51,636
Speaker 4: And so I said, listen, I have to leave, but

1103
00:56:51,876 --> 00:56:53,716
Speaker 4: I don't know, you know what your schedule is tomorrow,

1104
00:56:53,756 --> 00:56:55,836
Speaker 4: but I would love to have you for lunch at

1105
00:56:55,876 --> 00:56:58,276
Speaker 4: Wonderland at our studio and she was like, is there

1106
00:56:58,316 --> 00:57:02,196
Speaker 4: a pool there? And I was like, indeed, there is

1107
00:57:02,236 --> 00:57:04,756
Speaker 4: a pool. And then she was like, okay, I will

1108
00:57:04,836 --> 00:57:07,956
Speaker 4: call you. I'm gonna come, and I just I was

1109
00:57:07,956 --> 00:57:10,356
Speaker 4: like okay, And I was like, she says this to everybody,

1110
00:57:10,436 --> 00:57:12,596
Speaker 4: I'm sure because she doesn't want to hurt anybody's feelings.

1111
00:57:13,316 --> 00:57:15,156
Speaker 3: And she called.

1112
00:57:15,676 --> 00:57:19,076
Speaker 4: She had she had her assistant text and asked if

1113
00:57:19,116 --> 00:57:21,676
Speaker 4: it was a heated pool. If they but she swims

1114
00:57:21,716 --> 00:57:25,156
Speaker 4: every day, is her exercise? And I asked them, well,

1115
00:57:25,196 --> 00:57:27,276
Speaker 4: what does she drink? What does she Like, Like, I'm scrambling,

1116
00:57:27,316 --> 00:57:29,236
Speaker 4: I'm like, how am I going to host Grace Jones?

1117
00:57:29,716 --> 00:57:32,756
Speaker 3: Everybody? We need to have a meeting, right go to

1118
00:57:32,756 --> 00:57:33,876
Speaker 3: the grocery store? What are we doing?

1119
00:57:34,676 --> 00:57:37,236
Speaker 4: And he sends me this list like her wine list

1120
00:57:37,436 --> 00:57:39,916
Speaker 4: is immaculate, her champagne list is immaculate.

1121
00:57:40,236 --> 00:57:43,796
Speaker 3: And so she came over and we really had lunch

1122
00:57:43,876 --> 00:57:46,236
Speaker 3: and we really got in this pool.

1123
00:57:46,916 --> 00:57:49,276
Speaker 4: She took her top off. Just I mean, I know,

1124
00:57:49,316 --> 00:57:52,116
Speaker 4: we're talking a lot about all of the toplessness, which

1125
00:57:52,236 --> 00:57:54,876
Speaker 4: which is really great because as we know, we live

1126
00:57:54,876 --> 00:57:57,356
Speaker 4: in a world where there's a double standard. Yeah, you

1127
00:57:57,396 --> 00:58:01,236
Speaker 4: know where The liberation that Grace has been able to

1128
00:58:01,276 --> 00:58:05,236
Speaker 4: do did not come with open arms, you know.

1129
00:58:05,316 --> 00:58:06,596
Speaker 3: It came with a lot of scrutiny.

1130
00:58:06,676 --> 00:58:09,836
Speaker 4: This is somebody who was raised under a pastor, you know,

1131
00:58:09,916 --> 00:58:12,916
Speaker 4: who was a bishop and in a very conservative community.

1132
00:58:12,956 --> 00:58:14,756
Speaker 4: And for her to say I'm gonna live my mother

1133
00:58:14,796 --> 00:58:19,196
Speaker 4: fucking life and to show us that like that was

1134
00:58:19,236 --> 00:58:22,476
Speaker 4: all I needed to see and hear. And she she

1135
00:58:22,676 --> 00:58:25,396
Speaker 4: really by being her and by hanging out with her

1136
00:58:25,396 --> 00:58:27,796
Speaker 4: and her encouraging me to be me, and sitting in

1137
00:58:27,836 --> 00:58:30,396
Speaker 4: the studio listening to the songs, like her getting up

1138
00:58:30,476 --> 00:58:34,036
Speaker 4: dancing and moving and telling us which one she loved

1139
00:58:34,076 --> 00:58:37,796
Speaker 4: and what like her hearing the instruments and talking about

1140
00:58:37,836 --> 00:58:40,876
Speaker 4: that like she is a musical genius. It was all

1141
00:58:40,876 --> 00:58:42,036
Speaker 4: the affirmation I needed.

1142
00:58:42,716 --> 00:58:44,596
Speaker 1: First of all, her taking off her top of your

1143
00:58:44,636 --> 00:58:47,036
Speaker 1: pool is a real legendary, what an honor, you know

1144
00:58:47,116 --> 00:58:48,716
Speaker 1: what I mean? You curated this.

1145
00:58:48,756 --> 00:58:50,076
Speaker 3: It's just a typical Tuesday for her.

1146
00:58:50,156 --> 00:58:50,356
Speaker 2: Yeah.

1147
00:58:51,956 --> 00:58:53,196
Speaker 1: But then so then you pull in the studio when

1148
00:58:53,236 --> 00:58:55,516
Speaker 1: she's listening. You asked her to Yeah.

1149
00:58:55,636 --> 00:58:57,156
Speaker 4: I was like, I told her, I said I would

1150
00:58:57,196 --> 00:58:58,756
Speaker 4: love to get you, you know, on our project.

1151
00:58:58,796 --> 00:59:00,476
Speaker 3: She was like, Okay, well where is it.

1152
00:59:00,996 --> 00:59:02,956
Speaker 4: And I was like, well, since you asked, there's a

1153
00:59:02,956 --> 00:59:05,596
Speaker 4: studio right in here, and so we went in there.

1154
00:59:05,836 --> 00:59:09,276
Speaker 4: And but I will say recording Grace Jones because I

1155
00:59:09,356 --> 00:59:13,596
Speaker 4: had to wrangle her in it is like having the

1156
00:59:13,596 --> 00:59:18,036
Speaker 4: most beautiful panther in the studio that then turns into

1157
00:59:18,116 --> 00:59:22,516
Speaker 4: a tiger that then turns into like a bird with

1158
00:59:22,596 --> 00:59:25,516
Speaker 4: the biggest wings that will flap around and you just

1159
00:59:25,636 --> 00:59:29,116
Speaker 4: you cannot contain that energy. You just have to have

1160
00:59:29,236 --> 00:59:32,356
Speaker 4: everything on record and get what you can. Wow, you

1161
00:59:32,396 --> 00:59:34,476
Speaker 4: know what I'm saying. You can't really tell her what

1162
00:59:34,556 --> 00:59:36,516
Speaker 4: to do. But even in the moments where I was like, Okay,

1163
00:59:36,516 --> 00:59:38,316
Speaker 4: can you do more of this or do more of that,

1164
00:59:38,436 --> 00:59:41,036
Speaker 4: or no, say it like this, or talk French because

1165
00:59:41,076 --> 00:59:43,756
Speaker 4: she speaks French fluently, and that's what we and that

1166
00:59:43,876 --> 00:59:46,396
Speaker 4: was the thing that I said, Oh, that's the sexy

1167
00:59:46,436 --> 00:59:48,716
Speaker 4: shit that I want on this project, because I don't

1168
00:59:48,716 --> 00:59:50,356
Speaker 4: think we've really gotten a chance to hear her in

1169
00:59:50,396 --> 00:59:53,036
Speaker 4: that way. And we've actually recorded more, like I have

1170
00:59:53,116 --> 00:59:59,796
Speaker 4: at least two hours of recording with Grace job definitely,

1171
00:59:56,996 --> 01:00:02,116
Speaker 4: and I really really want to. She's working on her album,

1172
01:00:02,116 --> 01:00:04,076
Speaker 4: which is going to also be incredible. She played us

1173
01:00:04,076 --> 01:00:07,276
Speaker 4: her album like I got to hear Grace Jones's album.

1174
01:00:07,316 --> 01:00:08,996
Speaker 3: We did. It's really beautiful.

1175
01:00:09,796 --> 01:00:13,996
Speaker 1: That's incredible. Well man, you got I mean the fact

1176
01:00:14,036 --> 01:00:18,276
Speaker 1: that you went as far as to pull Grace Jones

1177
01:00:18,276 --> 01:00:21,116
Speaker 1: in the studio for your album. Nothing we can say

1178
01:00:21,196 --> 01:00:24,076
Speaker 1: but thank you. There's nothing we could say but thank

1179
01:00:24,116 --> 01:00:28,956
Speaker 1: you and congratulations on not just the Grammy, but congratulations

1180
01:00:28,996 --> 01:00:30,356
Speaker 1: for that, but just what I've seen and do to

1181
01:00:30,356 --> 01:00:32,636
Speaker 1: people's spirits over the last eight months.

1182
01:00:32,796 --> 01:00:36,716
Speaker 3: You know, that's all we want. It's incredible, that's all

1183
01:00:36,756 --> 01:00:38,036
Speaker 3: we want. Thank you so much.

1184
01:00:38,956 --> 01:00:40,796
Speaker 1: Can I ask her not to put you on the spot?

1185
01:00:40,916 --> 01:00:41,036
Speaker 2: Man?

1186
01:00:41,956 --> 01:00:43,716
Speaker 1: I love We're far enough from heaven.

1187
01:00:46,596 --> 01:00:47,956
Speaker 3: You are a Deep Cotton fan.

1188
01:00:48,076 --> 01:00:51,876
Speaker 1: I fucking love Deep Cotton. I don't know where the

1189
01:00:52,236 --> 01:00:53,316
Speaker 1: lost my copy.

1190
01:00:53,036 --> 01:00:55,716
Speaker 3: Of I Love This You Are. I knew I liked you,

1191
01:00:55,756 --> 01:00:58,116
Speaker 3: but now I love you. I love this is my.

1192
01:00:58,116 --> 01:01:01,396
Speaker 1: Ship, this song is I feel like I don't even

1193
01:01:01,596 --> 01:01:02,996
Speaker 1: I don't know how to explain my love of this.

1194
01:01:03,156 --> 01:01:05,316
Speaker 3: So good, it's really good.

1195
01:01:09,516 --> 01:01:10,796
Speaker 4: Now we can freak out.

1196
01:01:11,356 --> 01:01:11,996
Speaker 3: So well done.

1197
01:01:12,036 --> 01:01:15,876
Speaker 7: You use the brandons to pick out you can join

1198
01:01:15,996 --> 01:01:22,876
Speaker 7: it sh bang bang, you can't learning them heaving.

1199
01:01:23,036 --> 01:01:25,996
Speaker 1: Now we can bring out there's some broad doesn't here's

1200
01:01:26,036 --> 01:01:26,636
Speaker 1: a veranda.

1201
01:01:26,676 --> 01:01:29,716
Speaker 2: It wants to break out. There's a killer and all

1202
01:01:29,836 --> 01:01:32,796
Speaker 2: that is much and it all bang bang go. It's

1203
01:01:32,876 --> 01:01:35,716
Speaker 2: jars and it's so good on more you can see it.

1204
01:01:35,836 --> 01:01:39,516
Speaker 3: You can dealing now until right as well, kiss the

1205
01:01:39,676 --> 01:01:40,876
Speaker 3: monster lighting up.

1206
01:01:40,756 --> 01:01:41,396
Speaker 7: To your dad.

1207
01:01:41,796 --> 01:01:43,476
Speaker 1: You don't think cash you all? I got it?

1208
01:01:45,476 --> 01:01:48,236
Speaker 2: Just take your burthers man didn't tell some stories in here?

1209
01:01:48,436 --> 01:01:49,356
Speaker 1: And who can cook?

1210
01:01:49,516 --> 01:01:50,236
Speaker 2: Who can clean?

1211
01:01:50,396 --> 01:01:51,756
Speaker 1: Who will pay the fence?

1212
01:01:52,076 --> 01:01:52,836
Speaker 2: Who can cook?

1213
01:01:52,956 --> 01:01:53,676
Speaker 7: Who can clean?

1214
01:01:53,836 --> 01:01:55,196
Speaker 1: Who will pay the fence?

1215
01:01:55,516 --> 01:01:56,236
Speaker 2: Who can cook?

1216
01:01:56,356 --> 01:01:57,116
Speaker 3: Who can clean?

1217
01:01:57,236 --> 01:02:02,956
Speaker 1: Who can paint the fence? I will? I will far

1218
01:02:03,196 --> 01:02:05,396
Speaker 1: enough from evan. Now we can break out.

1219
01:02:05,796 --> 01:02:07,436
Speaker 2: Yeah we're fire, nothing heaving.

1220
01:02:07,556 --> 01:02:08,836
Speaker 1: Now we can break out.

1221
01:02:09,236 --> 01:02:16,276
Speaker 5: Yeah, freak out, Yeah we're freak out.

1222
01:02:22,676 --> 01:02:23,836
Speaker 3: You have excellent tastes.

1223
01:02:23,956 --> 01:02:24,436
Speaker 2: I love that.

1224
01:02:27,276 --> 01:02:27,756
Speaker 1: They like.

1225
01:02:28,116 --> 01:02:30,756
Speaker 4: When I heard their song, actually, when Nate was saying,

1226
01:02:30,836 --> 01:02:34,556
Speaker 4: like he met me performing on the library steps with

1227
01:02:34,596 --> 01:02:37,996
Speaker 4: the guitar, I was heavily just like on some acoustic

1228
01:02:39,076 --> 01:02:41,916
Speaker 4: big afro I guess you would say.

1229
01:02:41,876 --> 01:02:42,996
Speaker 3: Neo soul vibes.

1230
01:02:43,556 --> 01:02:46,556
Speaker 4: And when I heard their music it changed my whole life.

1231
01:02:46,596 --> 01:02:49,236
Speaker 4: It changed the way I saw us because I hadn't

1232
01:02:49,276 --> 01:02:51,996
Speaker 4: seen I mean with the exception of like Andre, because NARLS.

1233
01:02:52,036 --> 01:02:55,196
Speaker 3: Barkley wasn't even around at that time. But with the

1234
01:02:55,276 --> 01:02:56,916
Speaker 3: exception of like the Love Below and what.

1235
01:02:57,036 --> 01:02:59,676
Speaker 4: Andre was doing and you know, some some some indie

1236
01:02:59,756 --> 01:03:04,436
Speaker 4: artists in Atlanta, nobody was stretching and it's sounding good,

1237
01:03:04,636 --> 01:03:08,036
Speaker 4: like it was either too alternative for me to get to,

1238
01:03:08,276 --> 01:03:11,516
Speaker 4: you know, to get into, and there was no melody.

1239
01:03:11,316 --> 01:03:12,116
Speaker 3: There was no soul.

1240
01:03:13,036 --> 01:03:16,036
Speaker 4: But when I heard their stuff, I was like, it

1241
01:03:16,156 --> 01:03:17,916
Speaker 4: was up temp. There were there were like up tempo

1242
01:03:18,036 --> 01:03:21,356
Speaker 4: records that sounded like Japanese funk.

1243
01:03:21,636 --> 01:03:23,396
Speaker 3: I don't know, that's the best way to describe it.

1244
01:03:23,836 --> 01:03:25,596
Speaker 4: And all I knew was like, I want to make

1245
01:03:25,676 --> 01:03:27,716
Speaker 4: music like that, and so that I really have to

1246
01:03:27,796 --> 01:03:31,756
Speaker 4: credit Deep Cott for why I like up tempo songs

1247
01:03:31,756 --> 01:03:33,716
Speaker 4: and why I make up tempo music and stretch.

1248
01:03:34,036 --> 01:03:36,636
Speaker 1: When it comes to genre, textures are incredible. No one really,

1249
01:03:36,956 --> 01:03:39,716
Speaker 1: no one really plays like acoustic like that, like an

1250
01:03:39,796 --> 01:03:44,516
Speaker 1: up It sounds like some Frank Black like it's it's weird,

1251
01:03:44,636 --> 01:03:45,596
Speaker 1: bizarre like phrase.

1252
01:03:46,836 --> 01:03:52,476
Speaker 4: Chuck is an incredible writer, imminator, like their their partnership.

1253
01:03:52,196 --> 01:03:56,116
Speaker 5: We actually had it's crazy. We actually are finishing our

1254
01:03:56,116 --> 01:03:58,876
Speaker 5: album right now. We actually just got the album cover

1255
01:03:59,116 --> 01:04:00,116
Speaker 5: done for it and everything.

1256
01:04:01,276 --> 01:04:03,516
Speaker 3: Yeah, they're coming out, what is coming true?

1257
01:04:03,636 --> 01:04:03,836
Speaker 1: Yeah?

1258
01:04:07,036 --> 01:04:07,996
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah.

1259
01:04:08,076 --> 01:04:09,916
Speaker 5: I love that song because I love the line who

1260
01:04:09,996 --> 01:04:11,796
Speaker 5: can cook, who can clean? Who will paint the fence?

1261
01:04:12,716 --> 01:04:14,316
Speaker 5: I mean, there's so many other things about the song

1262
01:04:14,356 --> 01:04:16,236
Speaker 5: that are great, but also who can cook, who can clean?

1263
01:04:16,236 --> 01:04:17,036
Speaker 2: Who will paint the fence?

1264
01:04:17,276 --> 01:04:19,676
Speaker 5: Because it takes like this idea of like taking over

1265
01:04:19,756 --> 01:04:21,836
Speaker 5: the mansion, tell some stories and there and all that

1266
01:04:21,916 --> 01:04:24,476
Speaker 5: kind of stuff, which is cool idea, right, but then

1267
01:04:24,676 --> 01:04:27,636
Speaker 5: like it's the responsibilities that you have to each other,

1268
01:04:27,876 --> 01:04:30,276
Speaker 5: like who's who can cook, who can clean, who will

1269
01:04:30,276 --> 01:04:33,476
Speaker 5: paint the like who's doing the real work that it

1270
01:04:33,556 --> 01:04:36,396
Speaker 5: takes to like stay alive. So we can, you know,

1271
01:04:36,636 --> 01:04:38,356
Speaker 5: take over this match and tell some stories.

1272
01:04:38,476 --> 01:04:43,076
Speaker 1: I love it. Thanks so much, guys, Thank you so much, creative,

1273
01:04:43,156 --> 01:04:49,556
Speaker 1: Thank you. This is beautiful, incredible. Thanks to Janemo, n

1274
01:04:49,556 --> 01:04:51,836
Speaker 1: A and Nate wonder for the invite to Wonderland to

1275
01:04:51,956 --> 01:04:55,636
Speaker 1: chat about her latest album, The Age of Pleasure. You

1276
01:04:55,716 --> 01:04:57,836
Speaker 1: can hear it along with our other favorite songs of

1277
01:04:57,916 --> 01:05:01,276
Speaker 1: Jennemales and Nate Wonders on a playlist at Broken record

1278
01:05:01,356 --> 01:05:05,476
Speaker 1: podcast dot com. Subscribe to our YouTube channel at YouTube

1279
01:05:05,516 --> 01:05:08,276
Speaker 1: dot com slash broken Record podcast, where you can find

1280
01:05:08,396 --> 01:05:11,316
Speaker 1: all of our new episodes. You can follow us on

1281
01:05:11,396 --> 01:05:15,236
Speaker 1: Twitter at broken Record. Broken Record is produced and edited

1282
01:05:15,316 --> 01:05:18,076
Speaker 1: by Leah Rose, with marketing help from Eric Sandler and

1283
01:05:18,156 --> 01:05:22,436
Speaker 1: Jordan McMillan. Our engineer is Ben Tollinay. Broken Record is

1284
01:05:22,436 --> 01:05:25,756
Speaker 1: a production of Pushkin Industries. If you love this show

1285
01:05:25,916 --> 01:05:30,436
Speaker 1: and others from Pushkin, consider subscribing to Pushkin Plus. Pushkin

1286
01:05:30,476 --> 01:05:33,476
Speaker 1: Plus is a podcast subscription that offers bonus content and

1287
01:05:33,556 --> 01:05:37,036
Speaker 1: ad free listening for four ninety nine a month. Look

1288
01:05:37,076 --> 01:05:40,796
Speaker 1: for Pushkin Plus on Apple podcast subscriptions, and if you

1289
01:05:40,956 --> 01:05:43,516
Speaker 1: like this show, please remember to share, rate, and review

1290
01:05:43,636 --> 01:05:46,716
Speaker 1: us on your podcast app. Our theme Music's back Anny Beats.

1291
01:05:46,956 --> 01:05:47,956
Speaker 2: I'm justin Richmond.