Janelle Monae undeniably channels prince in her new single “Q.U.E.E.N.” and has honored his Royal Badness at the BET Awards before. Now Prince will be nodding back at her, on the singer’s new album “The Electric Lady.”
In a cover story, Billboard reports that The Purple One, plus R&B star Miguel, are both included as featured artists in the tracklist. She even reveals that she and Prince are pals at this point.
“We are great friends, and he is a mentor to us, to me. It’s a beautiful thing to have a friend — someone who cares about your career, and wants to see you go far and to push boundaries and shake up the world — give whatever they possibly can to the cause,” Monae said of Prince. “I had a chance to produce an icon… I’m honored and humbled that he trusted me. He is forever my friend, and I am forever indebted. I can’t say too much else about it.”
She wouldn’t say what track Prince is on, but Miguel is on “Primetime.”
“The Electric Lady” will be out later this year. Monae’s “Q.U.E.E.N.” feat. Erykah Badu is one of HitFix’s summer songs of 2013, check out our other picks.