Janelle Monáe has addressed the rumours that her and actress Tessa Thompson are dating during a long-form interview with the New York Times. Kind of.
Some background, to get you up to speed: Monáe is currently in the midst of a massive glow-up ahead of her impending third album, ‘Dirty Computer’.
As now well documented, we’re totally vibing off the album singles and music videos – especially the “bi-sexual anthem” ‘Make Me Feel’ & the Grimes-featuring ode-to-vaginas, ‘Pynk’.
Thompson appears in both videos, resulting in the internet wildly speculating over whether the two – who both identify under the LGBTIQA+ umbrella, btw – are dating. I mean, in ‘Pynk’, Thompson literally pops out from under Monáe’s vulva-frilled pant legs.
Me: God… if Janelle Monae and Tessa Thompson are really a thing, then please give my little gay heart a sign!
God: pic.twitter.com/p8cV27nFcD
— lexapro lesbean (@aswepr0ceed) April 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/lesbihayley/status/983805963244392450
The two haven’t really addressed the rumours, though last week many hearts sunk when Thompson tweeted she was single.
However, the tweet was about “cheating” on goats with cats – a reference to meme account, @tessaasgoats, which pairs Thompson’s looks with an equally fashionable goat. Fans were divided: cryptic dismissal of the rumours, or just a joke?
https://twitter.com/TessaThompson_x/status/984267382133809152
— tessa as goats (@tessasgoats) April 19, 2018
And so, the mystery continues.
Now, in a New York Times profile, Monáe revealed that the 50 minute “emotion picture” (aka film) accompanying ‘Dirty Computer’ will star Thompson as Monáe’s star-crossed lover. Sensing fuel to the fire, reported Jenna Wortham pressed Monáe on the dating rumours. She totally deflected.
“I want it to be very clear that I’m an advocate for women,” she said. “I’m a girl’s girl, meaning I support women no matter what they choose to do. I’m proud when everybody is taking agency over their image and their bodies.”
Still, Wortham pressed:
I asked Monáe what she thought of the internet’s speculation about her romantic relationship with Thompson. Watching her as she decided on a response was like watching a mathematician working out Fermat’s Last Theorem. Gears were churning; calculations were being made. Finally, she laughed, raised her eyebrows and deflected: “I hope people feel celebrated,” she said. “I hope they feel love. I hope they feel seen.” It was late into the evening, and I was conscious of how long we’d been talking — at least two hours — and let it drop. But the issue lingered for me, especially the more times I watched her film.
It’s clear we won’t have any answers anytime soon, which is, of course, completely reasonable. Celebrities do not owe us an invitation into their sexual and romantic lives, and it’s now clear that, like Wortham, we shouldn’t press further.
While we’re digging into the gossip-y aspect here, the whole NYT feature is a stunning read, and well worth your time.
Among other things, Monáe reveals her return to music was inspired by friend and collaborator Prince‘s death, and that the cast of Black Panther were some of the first people to hear the album while partying during filming at her estate in Atlanta.
Ultimately, writer Jenna Wortham captures Monáe as an artist at the edge of a new era. We can’t wait to see what it looks like.
Source: New York Times
Image: Janelle Monáe/Youtube.com
