New York, NY (Top40 Charts) GRAMMY Award-nominated singer-songwriter-performer-producer-actress-activist Janelle Monáe has unveiled a new Director's Cut of her remarkable DIRTY COMPUTER: AN EMOTION PICTURE BY JANELLE MONÁE. The narrative film - which of course accompanies Monáe's GRAMMY Award-nominated third solo album project, DIRTY COMPUTER, available for streaming and download - now features 13 additional minutes of never-before-seen interview footage with the star and creative team. The DIRTY COMPUTER Director's Cut is streaming now via Amazon and Qello. It will be available via Google in March.
"Dirty computers don't see their bugs and viruses as negatives," says Monáe. "They see them as features, as attributes. With much love I am pleased to unveil the Director's Cut of DIRTY COMPUTER. I am excited for all of you to take a step into the minds of myself + all of the directors behind the film."
A 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards nominee for "Album of the Year," DIRTY COMPUTER includes the widely applauded singles and accompanying music videos "Django Jane," "I Like That," "Make Me Feel," and the GRAMMY Award nominee for "Best
Music Video," "PYNK," the latter of which is has already earned over 11 million views via Monáe's official YouTube channel.
The Director's Cut of DIRTY COMPUTER includes 13-minutes of never-before-seen interview footage with directors of the emotion picture - Janelle Monáe (artist and executive producer), Andrew Donoho (director of the "Django Jane" music video and co-director of the Dirty Computer emotion picture), Chuck Lightning (writer and co-director of the Dirty Computer emotion picture), Alan Ferguson (director of the "Crazy Classic Life" and "
Make Me Feel" music videos), Lacey Duke (director of the "
I Like That" music video), and Emma Westenberg (director of the "PYNK" music video).
A vibrant, visually stunning narrative incorporating a number of those celebratory visuals, DIRTY COMPUTER: AN EMOTION PICTURE BY JANELLE MONÁE tells the extraordinary story of a young woman named Jane 57821 (portrayed by Monáe) who is living in a totalitarian near-future society where citizens are referred to as "computers." Acclaimed actress
Tessa Thompson (Avengers:
Infinity War, Selma, Creed, Thor: Ragnarok) co-stars. As timely as it is poignant, DIRTY COMPUTER explores humanity and what truly happens to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness when mind and machines merge, and when the government chooses fear over freedom.
DIRTY COMPUTER: AN EMOTION PICTURE BY JANELLE MONÁE is produced by Monáe and directed by Andrew Donoho and Chuck Lightning. Collaborators include an assortment of celebrated music video directors such as Alan Ferguson, Emma Westenberg and Lacey Duke, who directed the powerful music videos for "Make Me Feel," "PYNK," and "
I Like That" respectively.
"I was trying to accomplish making a video that really celebrated
Black Girl Magic," says Duke of "I Like That," now boasting over 16 million views via YouTube.
DIRTY COMPUTER: AN EMOTION PICTURE BY JANELLE MONÁE debuted last April with a cross-channel world premiere that saw the 44-minute "Emotion Picture" air exclusively on MTV and BET channels worldwide including MTV, MTV2, MTV Live, mtvU, BET, BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Her. The film drew significant media attention and acclamation, called "dazzling" by Rolling Stone, which raved, "The 46-minute film is visually arresting and filled with sterling electro-pop from (DIRTY COMPUTER), but its dense thematic nods to sci-fi landmarks aren't meant simply as fun spot-the-reference Easter eggs... Monáe plays with the conventions and totems of dystopian sci-fi to speak her truth and promote a cultural shift toward a more inclusive and loving society - no matter what repressive government (whether real or fictional) is trying to crush that spirit. Monáe is speaking to the present, but for her, the future is now."
Monáe will make a number of highly anticipated festival performances in the coming months, including Coachella Valley
Music & Arts Festival (April 12th and April 19th), Allston, MA's
Boston Calling (May 24th), Barcelona, Spain's Primavera Sound (May 31st), Glastonbury, England's legendary Glastonbury Festival (June 26th-30th), and Rotselaar, Belgium's Rock Werchter (June 28th). A European headline tour follows in July; additional dates will be announced. For complete details and ticket information, please log on towww.jmonae.com.
DIRTY COMPUTER made a top 10 debut on the SoundScan/Billboard 200 upon its April 2018 arrival amidst a truly unprecedented wave of international critical acclaim. The project was ultimately hailed among 2018's best, coming in at #1 on Associated Press' "AP's Top 2018 Albums," Jon Pareles of The New York Times' "The 28 Best Albums of 2018," and NPR's "The 50 Best Albums of 2018," while also making high ranking appearances on virtually every other year-end tally. "Janelle Monáe was an artist you knew about but never truly knew," wrote The Guardian in its "Best Albums of 2018" wrap-up. "She was the GRAMMY®-nominated
Prince protégé who cloaked her experimental R&B in layers of Afrofuturist myth under an android alter ego, Cindi Mayweather. She was famed for her live shows. But who was she, really? This was the year Monáe answered that question, stripping away her mythos on DIRTY COMPUTER, a searing concept album that drew comparisons with Beyoncé's LEMONADE and Kendrick Lamar's TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY. It was a unique coming-out record by a black, queer woman and a state-of-the-nation treatise on American identity in 2018...Her best work yet."
Immersed in the performing arts at a young age, Janelle Monáe co-founded The Wondaland Arts Society record label and in 2007 released her debut EP, "METROPOLIS: SUITE I (THE CHASE)." The critically acclaimed albums "ARCHANDROID" and "THE ELECTRIC LADY" followed in 2010 and 2013 respectively. 2016 saw Monáe embark on her film acting career with stellar performances in two milestone films, Hidden Figures and Moonlight; both films received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, with the latter winning the award at the 89th Academy Awards.
