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>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
MY FIRST GUEST IS A GRAMMY-NOMINATED ARTIST AND
ACTRESS YOU KNOW FROM "HIDDEN FIGURES" AND "MOONLIGHT."
HER LATEST FILM IS "ANTEBELLUM."
>> WE MUST CHOOSE WISELY.
BUT UNTIL THEN, WE KEEP OUR HEADS DOWN AND OUR MOUTHS SHUT.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?
>> I KNOW YOU, AND I KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY ONLY WAY OUT OF HERE.
>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME, JANELLE MONAE!
JANNEL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> ARE YOU KIDDING ME.
YOU ARE MY FAVORITE.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> Stephen: WE WHERE HAVE TO GET YOU ON MORE OFTEN JANELLE
MONAE-- I HAVE IN MY HAND-- I'LL SHOW IT TO YOU AND I'LL SHOW IT
TO THE CAMERA-- THIS IS A PHOTO OF YOU DANCING ON MY DESK.
IT'S BEEN ALMOST TWO YEARS.
>> OH, MY GOODNESS.
COME ON.
WE SHOULD BE FLAT FOR NOT SEEING EACH OTHER SOONER.
THAT WAS SO FUN, AND WE DANCED WHEN OUR, LIKE FAVORITE
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA WAS IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
WE ALWAYS DANCED TOGETHER.
IT'S LONG OVERDUE.
>> Stephen: IT'S GUESTS LIKE YOU THAT MAKE ME MISS BEING IN
THE ED SULLIVAN THEATER RYE NOW.
I KNOW THE AUDIENCE WOULD BE EXCITED TO HEAR YOU PERFORM.
YOU ARE A PERFORMER.
HOW ARE YOU DEALING WITH NOT BEINGABLY TO BE WITH THE
AUDIENCE RIGHT NOW?
>> I DEFINITELY CRIED WHEN A LOT OF MY TOUR DATES GOT CANCELED.
I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ON TOUR RIGHT NOW, HEADLINING THE
HOLLYWOOD BOWL.
BUT I-- I'M STILL CONNECTED, YOU KNOW.
I'M TRYING TO-- I'M NOT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AS MUCH AS I WOULD
LIKE.
BUT I'M JUST TRYING TO CONNECT TO THE COMMUNITY AS, LIKE, A
CITIZEN.
HOW CAN I BE BETTER HELPING ORGERS AMPLIFY THEIR VOICES WITH
THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING?
I'M CONNECTING IN DIFFERENT WAYS, AND DIFFERENT WAYS THAT TO
ME ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN JUST, LIKE, PERFORMING ON STAGE.
>> Stephen: I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR FRIEND CHADWICK
BOZEMAN WHO WE LOST LAST MONTH.
HE WAS A LOVELY HUMAN BEING.
I GOT TO INTERVIEW HIM ONCE, AND I WAS IMPRESSED BY HIS
VULNERABILITY AND HIS HUMANITY, ASIDE FROM, OF COURSE, THE
TALENT AND ALL THE PROMISE THAT WAS LOST WHEN HE DIED.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FRIEND.
HOW DID YOU GUYS GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER?
AND HOW WILL YOU REMEMBER HIM?
>> WELL, I MET CHADWICK THROUGH ONE OF MY GOOD FRIENDS, LUPITA,
AND THEY WERE ON LOCATION IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA.
EVIDENCE RECORDING "DIRTY COMPUTER," MY ALBUM, AND I JUST
SAID I WOULD LOVE TO HOST YOU GUYS.
AND THEY ALL SHOWED UP ONE NIGHT IN THE EVENING.
WE ATE, WE LISTENED TO MUSIC.
AND I JUST REMEMBER CHADWICK THAT NIGHT BEING SO PRESENT,
LIKE, WE WERE NOT TALKING ABOUT WORK.
WE WERE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE PAST.
BUT WE WERE JUST RIGHT THERE.
HE WAS PLAYING DRUMS.
WE WERE DANCING.
AND HIM JUST BEING SO KIND AND SO LOVING.
AND I WAS REALLY NERVOUS ABOUT RELEASING MY ALBUM, SO I HAD
PLAYED THEM SONGS THAT NOBODY HADED TO AND JUST, LIKE, THE
ENCOURAGEMENT THEY GOT FROM HIM, SEEING HIM SMILE, SEE HIM DANCE.
YOU COULD FEEL THAT HIS SPIRIT WAS ONE OF WANTING TO GIVE, GIVE
PEOPLE, LIKE, THE FEELING OF LOVE, THE FEELING OF HOPE, EVEN
AT PARTIES, YOU KNOW WHERE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE, LIKE DRINKING
AND, YOU KNOW, JUST ACTING WILD AND CRAZY.
HE STILL TOOK THAT TIME TO TELL ME THAT HE WAS PROUD.
HE WAS EXCITED, AND TO DANCE WITH ME AND MAKE ME FEEL LIKE,
YEAH, I CAN RELEASE THIS PROJECT.
SO I WILL REALLY MISS HIM.
I FEEL LIKE HIS SPIRIT LIVES ON FOREVER THROUGH THE INCREDIBLE
WORK HE HAS DONE.
I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO DANCE WITH HIM ONE LAST TIME THIS
YEAR.
IT WAS AN OSCARS PARTY, AND HE TAPPED ME ON MY SHOULDER-- I'LL
NEVER FORGET IT-- HE TAPPED ME AND HE SAID, "LET'S HAVE THIS
DANCE."
AND WE DANCED FOR A GOOD THREE TO FOUR MINUTES SMILING.
WE BOTH LOVE JAMES BROWN.
OBVIOUSLY, HE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PORTRAY JAMES BROWN IN THE
FILM, SOWE WOULD FIGURE OUT WHO COULD OUT-JAMES BOWN EACH OTHER
DANCING.
I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT MOMENT AND I'LL ALWAYS HOLD THAT
DEAR TO ME AND I'LL ALWAYS TRY TO LIVE IN THE PRESENT BECAUSE I
SAW HIM LIVING IN THE PRESENT.
I AW HIM DO THAT A LOT OF TIMES WHENEVER WE ENCOUNTERED OOCH
OTHER.
>> Stephen: THE LAST TIME WE WERE TOGETHER IN 2018, YOU
ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT WHAT THE MOVIE "BLACK PANTHER" MEANT TO
YOU IN THAT INTERVIEW.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU NOW IN 2020?
>> IT'S STILL REVOLUTIONARY.
IS IT STILL IS AFROFUTURISM, SEEING OURSELVES IN THE FUTURE
THRIVING, BEING ABLE TO TELL OUR STORIES FROM OUR OWN WORDS AND
MOUTH.
AND TO SEE, YOU KNOW, JUST THAT PHENOMENAL CAST COMING TOGETHER
IS JUST-- IT'S ICONIC.
AND I THINK WE'RE ALL WAITING FOR-- FOR 2, AND WHENEVER RYAN,
YOU KNOW, CAN-- CAN FINISH IT, AND I THINK THAT CHADWICK'S
LEGACY WILL LIVE ON THROUGH "BLACK PANTHER."
IT'S GLOBAL.
IT'S JUST LIKE THIS UNIVERSAL, LIKE, I GUESS LIKE ROCKET OR BIG
BANG THAT JUST EXPLODED, AND IT JUST LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT BEING
BLACK, BEING CREATIVE, WE ARE SO MANY THINGS.
AND THERE'S REALLY NOTHING THAT WE CAN'T DO ON SCREEN, NOTHING
WE CAN'T DO.
>> Stephen: WELL, LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH
YOUR MUSIC.
YOUR NEW SONG "TURN TABLES" IS OUT NOW AND IT'S IN A STACY
ABRAMS DOCUMENTARY, "ALL IN FOR THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY"
IT'S ABOUT VOTER SUPPRESSION.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU THESE DAYS TO WRITE YOUR MUSIC?
>> WELL, HONESTLY, I WAS NOT-- I HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN INSPIRED
MUSICALLY.
IT WAS BECAUSE STACY ABRAMS AND THE DIRECTORS OF THE DOCUMENTARY
REACHED OUT TO ME.
I LIVE IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, AND I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE FOR
STACY ABRAMS, AND I WAS THERE WHEN BRYAN KENT STOLE THE
ELECTION FROM STACY ABRAMS, YOU KNOW HIM BEING OVER-- AS
SECRETARY OF STATE, BEING OVER THE VOTE, OVERSEEING IT, ALSO
RUNNING A GANGSTER FOR GOVERNOR.
THAT'S A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
AND THERE'S ALREADY PROOF IN DATA THAT SHOWS THAT.
I SAID, "WHENEVER YOU NEED ME, CALL MEMENT.
AND SHE DID.
I WATCHED THE DOCUMENTARY, AND JUST LIKE MY FILM "ANTEBELLUM,"
IT POOLED THE PAST AND PRESENT AND WHAT COULD BE OUR FUTURE AND
WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR OUR FUTURE IF WE DON'T ACT IN THE IMPORTANT
AND BECOME PROINTEREST AND RALLY FIGHT THIS VOTER
SUPPRESSION, AND UNDERSTAND ALL THE TACTICS THEY'RE USING TO
MAKE SURE OUR VOICES ARE SILENCED.
I SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT?
IF I CAN'T PULL IT TOGETHER FOR ME, I'M GOING TO PULL IT
TOGETHER FOR HER.
AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE FIGHTING FOR MARGINALIZED VOICES,
FIGHTING TO MAKE SURE BLACK FOLKS DON'T HAVE TO STAND IN
LINE FOR 20 HOURS JUST TO VOTE, LIKE, REALLY TRYING TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE OWN AND TAKE BACK OUR DEMOCRACY.
SO I WENT INTO THE STUDIO.
I HAD A WEEK, AND I WORKED WITH NATE, MY PRODUCER, WE WORKED
TOGETHER FOR MANY YEARS, AND THIS IS WHAT WE CAME UP WITH.
YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A SONG ABOUT ME LEADING A MOVEMENT OR I HAVE
SOMETHING TO SAY.
IT'S REALLY ENERGY.
IT'S LIKE ENERGY IN THE FORM OF A SONG BECAUSE ALL OF US ARE
FIGHTING AND ALL OF US WILL GET AND HAVE BEEN AND ARE
EMOTIONALLY FATIGUED.
THIS IS A LONG FIGHT.
WOE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH ENERGY WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO USE.
AND SO THIS SONG IS JUST ENERGY TO THE REVOLUTIONARIES.
AND I ALWAYS SAY, "WHAT IS A SONG WITHOUT A REVOLUTION AND
WHAT IS A REVOLUTION WITHOUT A SONG?"
>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR NEW MOVIE "ANTEBELLUM,"
WITHOUT GIVING TOO MUCH AWAY-- AND I KNOW THERE ARE SURPRISES
HERE-- TELL US WHAT IT IS ABOUT.
>> SO I PLAY VERONICA HENRY.
VERONICA HENLY IS A SUCCESSFUL AUTHOR, SHE'S A MOTHER, SHE'S A
WIFE AND A BEST FRIEND AND A THOUGHT LEADER IN HER COMMUNITY.
VERONICA FIND HERSELF TRAPPED IN THIS HORRIFYING REALITY THAT
FORCES HER TO CONFRONT THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE FUTURE
BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.
THERE ARE SCENES THAT ARE SO TIMELY AND SO UP TO DATE-- THIS
DOES DEAL WITH WHITE SUPREMACY AND MICROAGGRESSION.
AND IT ALSO CELEBRATE BLACK WOMEN, AND GLOBALLY IT GIVES A
ELECTROCUTE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IT'S LIKE FOR A BLACK WOMAN TO CARRY
THE BURDEN OF DISMANTLING, YOU KNOW, SYSTEMIC OPPRESSION ON HER
BACK EVERY SINGLE DAY AND COME OUT TRIUMPHANT.
>> Stephen: WELL, JANNEL, IT WAS GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> IT'S ALWAYS GREAT SEEING YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
>> Stephen: "ANTEBELLUM" IS AVAILABLE ON DEMAND THIS FRIDAY.
JANELLE MONAE, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH "NEW YORK TIMES" BESTSELLING AUTHOR
JACOB SOBOROFF.
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