Janelle Monáe has announced her first album in five years.
The 37-year-old singer and actress’ ‘The Age of Pleasure’ record comes with a new single called ‘Lipstick Lover’ – the release of which the Emmy-winner teased on Wednesday (10.05.23) with a short clip of her emerging from a shallow pool as the track played in the background.
She said in a statement released on Thursday about the upcoming album, set for release on 9 June: “As we enter into The Age Of Pleasure ‘Lipstick Lover’ is our freea**mothaf**** anthem inspired by f.a.m. for f.a.m.
“This is our audio oasis made with love and signed with cherry red kisses from me to you.”
Her promo clip, in which she wore a soaked see-through t-shirt with the word ‘Pleasure’ emblazoned on it, rapidly went viral.
The promotional imagery that was released with her statement – showing Janelle with her bare chest covered by her hands holding two red flowers – seems to be a nod to a popular 1972 poster for Jamaica tourism featuring Trinidadian model Sintra Bronte.
Janelle recently previewed ‘Lipstick Lover’ by performing it at her Met Gala after-party at the Boom Boom Room above the Standard Hotel in New York.
She hinted at its title by declaring at the bash: “Tonight, this year, we are in the age of motherf****** pleasure. We’re actively doing the things that make us feel good, unapologetically.”
Rolling Stone said about the single: “Fittingly, ‘Lipstick Lover’ is her take on romantic reggae, an ode to a moment of queer intimacy dotted with sugary harmonies and an earworm hook.”
The song includes the raunchy lines: “I seen it from the back and I’m excited, tell me whatchu do when we walk up in the room – I hope it’s something nasty, we can try it. I really got a thing for my lipstick lover, lover, lover, lover.”
‘The Age of Pleasure’ also includes the single ‘Float’ featuring ‘Seun Kuti and Egypt 80’.
Even though ‘The Age of Pleasure’ is Janelle’s first album since 2018’s ‘Dirty Computer’ she has been busy with a starring role in last year’s ‘Glass Onion: A Knives out Mystery’ film alongside Daniel Craig, and roles in the movies ‘Antebellum’, ‘Harriet’, and ‘The Glorias’.