Janelle Monae never fails to surprise her fans and at times shock them with her on-stage stunts. Monae, this time, flashed her right boob to the audience at the 2023 Essence Festival in New Orleans on Friday as she in the middle of her performance decided to lift up her tiny bra top, leaving a packed stadium stunned.
In new footage from her concert set at the show, Monáe was performing her and Jidenna's song "Yoga," which contains the lyrics, "You cannot police me, so get off my areola." The I Like Monae, 37, recently revealed to Rolling Stone that she feels "much happier when my t**ties are out" in an interview published earlier this month.
Monae Does it Again
The "Make Me Feel" singer made an appearance on stage wearing a black and white geometric-patterned ensemble, which included a bikini top and shorts. The star added a patterned hat that partially covered her flowing hair to complement her look for the event.
However, while echoing the "get off my areola" line, the R&B and rap artist suddenly pulled a cheeky move as she lifted up her top to expose one of her breasts, which was covered with a hot pink floral nipple sticker.
The 37-year-old's perky bust was somewhat veiled since a pink sticker in the shape of a flower covered her nipple subtly.
During another point of the festival performance, which commenced on Thursday, Monae was seen wearing a cape adorned with floral embellishments. She also wore a matching floral crown, adding a touch of elegance to her ensemble.
Monáe's recent display of her breasts at Essence Fest is not an isolated incident.
Earlier in May, a video of her live performance, where she exposed her breasts, garnered significant attention online.
Over the years, Monáe's fashion style has undergone a transformation. Initially, she made her mark in Hollywood with a more conservative appearance, often seen in designer suits.
Always Bold
In July last year, the non-binary musician, who prefers the pronouns she/her and they/them, offered a glimpse of a more revealing side by sharing a photograph of herself without a top.
"Earthly Pleasures," the "Hidden Figures" star wrote alongside it. "Topless beaches in Ibiza hit different...My ancestors hyping me up will always keep me adventurous."
Recently, Monae boldly posed topless on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine to promote her latest album.
Displaying confidence, Monae positioned her hands gracefully across her bare breasts, showing no hesitation in embracing the artistic expression.
While talking to the outlet, the songstress admitted, "I'm much happier when my t**ties are out and I can run around free."
The Billboard Music Award winner exuded regal elegance, adorning herself with long gold chains that cascaded like tendrils. Sparkling diamonds were interspersed among the shoulder-length jewelry, enhancing her stunning appearance. Her makeup was kept natural, emphasizing her innate beauty.
Monae has previously shared her journey towards embracing body confidence and recently discussed the topic on StyleLikeU's What's Underneath series, providing insight into her personal growth and self-acceptance.
During the interview, Monae was dressed in a stylish black suit paired with a crisp white dress shirt, which pays homage to her previous fashion choices. The interviewer asked Monae about her biggest insecurities and the progress she has made in overcoming them or working on them.
Monae started patting her breasts as she took off her suit jacket and said, "It's these. My boobies. I remember when I first started to wear my tuxedo, my breasts were not this big. They were smaller."
"With, you know, time, I started to get more curvy. My old shirts didn't work. I had to change my wardrobe and I was just really uncomfortable."
"And also, like, my friends would comment on them, but they would always give me compliments like, 'You have the best boobies' or 'If I get a boob job, I'm taking pictures of your boobs' and you would think that I should be like, 'Yes! Ooh!'"
Monae admitted: "I was very uncomfortable with the change that was happening. Like it took me years to get comfortable with my boobs. It's probably why I'm like, 'Whoo! Free them!'"
Just before her recent stage performance at the Essence Music Festival, which concludes on Monday, Monae unveiled her long-awaited LP, The Age Of Pleasure.
This marked her first album release in five years, and she expressed that the inspiration for creating new music came to her while she was in Greece, working on the Netflix murder mystery film, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
