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If you saw Janelle Monáe’s recent collaboration with Soho House on Instagram, you may have noticed the addition of a tiny new accessory on the star. The “I Like That” singer showed off a tiny heart-shaped tattoo right underneath her eye. She has yet to confirm if the face tat is permanent or temporary, but one thing is for sure: It’s cute.
Monáe’s new ink isn’t the only change she’s sported recently. Known for rocking a variety of natural hairstyles to showcase her lengthy black tresses, including her popular pompadour, she debuted straight blonde locks in a live performance of her new single “Turntables” last week.
Prior to her new colorful look, the singer debuted a bold, reddish-brown tapered haircut last fall.
While she may have extended her color palette in recent years, Monae’s dedication to buttoned-up ensembles and trademark black and white “uniform” remains, though she does experiment with color more these days.
Monae revealed that she used her signature black and white look to pay homage to the uniforms worn by her mother and grandmother during her childhood in 2013. “It’s a dedication to uniformity and I’m a minimalist by heart, but a lot of it had to do with me wanting to have a uniform like the working class, like my mom and my grandmother,” she shared. “My grandmother had 16 sisters and brothers and they all had to share one pair of shoes. And so that’s the family that I come from — I don’t ever want to be detached from that. I use it as motivation for my music and to just keep me centered, grounded and to stay on message.”
She used her trademark uniform as part of an immersive fashion experience for Ralph Lauren’s Spring 2021 collection. Throughout the promotional clips for her upcoming performance, Monae said, “There’s no gray area. It’s only black or white baby. It either is or ain’t. You know what I’m saying?”
