Rolling Stone recently unveiled the lineup for its annual "Musicians on Musicians" series and two queer artists, Janelle Monáe and Lucy Dacus were paired up together for a conversation about their artistry. The their cover story was the third one in the series following Paramore's Hayley Williams paired up with super producer Jack Antonoff and the pop legend Cyndi Lauper in conversation with pop newcomer Gracie Abrams. Monáe and Dacus (wearing matching Thom Browne blazers) chatted about their influences and music making process over the years, but they also delve into their personal relationships with their gender identity.
The conversation shifted from talking about the rise of AI and its place in the music industry to how the two of them grew up Baptist. Monáe spoke about how she was raised with the idea of "covering up" to protect herself from men being attracted to her.
"My bodily autonomy is important, and my freedom cannot be choked so that you cannot have urges to want to rape me or molest me or violate my body," Monáe said. "Do not ask me to choke my freedom to make you comfortable. I spent a lot of time unlearning that, and also pushing my boobies down, because it was something that I was made to feel more ashamed of, versus confident within and in celebratory of."
Dacus says, "Now you’re tits-out on the album cover." To which Monáe adds, "I guess I’m making up for lost time. I don’t know. But I’m also just honoring my body and saying, 'I’m sorry.' I’m sorry that I didn’t know that it wasn’t my fault."
The Age of Pleasure singer came out as nonbinary back in 2022 on an episode of Red Table Talk, saying, "I'm nonbinary, so I just don't see myself as a woman, solely ... I feel like god is so much bigger than the 'he' or the 'she.' And if I am from God, I am everything." She said that she would continue to use she/her pronouns but in a Los Angeles Times interview that say year, Monáe clarified that her "pronouns are free-ass motherfucker—and they/them, her/she."
Dacus went on to talk about how she views gender and her thoughts on playing with masculinity and femininity. "If I was told 'You have to be one way forever,' I would be like, maybe life’s not for me," the "Night Shift" singer said. "It’s very important every day to wake up and be like, 'Is it boy day or girl day?' Or on tour, especially if we do two nights in the same city. I’ll have boy night, girl night."
Dacus continued, "I don’t think you need to choose. Even if the words don’t follow. For some people it’s really important to find the words, and for me, it’s more important to find the inhabiting. That took a while. As you’re saying, growing up Baptist, I didn’t grow up with a ton of examples of people who I would describe as free. If I ever saw one out of the corner of my eye, they’d be vilified. Or not even just vilified, but made fun of. And you’re like, 'I don’t want to be a pariah. I’ll keep in my lane.'"
