The Gentlewoman 22 – Janelle Monáe | This issue is fronted by the cosmic pop star and actor Janelle Monáe, photographed by Clara Balzary and profiled inside by Horacio Silva. Then lifting this edition’s scintillating teal cover, some of the women to be discovered are the preeminent interior designer, Ilse Crawford, the fantastical filmmaker, Jenn Nkiru, the incomparable Shakespearean actor, Harriet Walter, and darts superstar, Fallon Sherrock.

The shocking contemporary relevance of Barbara Kruger’s iconic 1989 poster, “Your Body is a Battleground” is explored furthermore in a definitive oral history, while the dream of escaping it all becomes a reality in a Modern Manners essay. And lo, the fashions! Our merry band of photographers and stylists bring you new attitudes, fresh faces and some fine-looking garb.

Janelle

‘Janelle Monáe has carved out an extraordinary niche with her skills as a singer, entrepreneur, actor and activist – dubbed an “incandescent talent” by no less than Michelle Obama. At 34, having cast off the constraints of her early extraterrestrial persona, her universe has expanded, resulting in music that’s more danceable and screen performances that feel intimate and real. Janelle grew up in Kansas City but found her people in Atlanta, from where her company, the Wondaland Arts Society, invites like-minded “free-ass motherfuckers” to join her in creating radical art.’ (From: website The Gentlewoman)