Janelle Monáe’s new video Lipstick Lover is a NSFW celebration of sapphic pleasure
A still from Janelle Monáe’s Lipstick Lover music video. (YouTube/Janelle Monáe)
Janelle Monáe celebrates queer Black bodies in her new music video, “Lipstick Lover”.
Monáe can do it all. She left fans thrilled by her acting prowess in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, graciously accepted a well-deserved Outfest Trailblazer award for her tireless LGBTQ+ advocacy and sent music-lovers into a tailspin after dropping a long-awaited single “Float”, featuring Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 – which was immediately dubbed a queer anthem.
On Thursday (11 May), she delivered again after confirming 9 June as the release date for her long-teased album, The Age of Pleasure, something fans have been waiting for since 2018, when Dirty Computer hit the airwaves.
She also dropped her second single, “Lipstick Lover”, with an explicit, sex-positive music video celebrating Black queer women and non-binary people in all their sexy glory.
Monáe posted a message on Instagram, saying: “I wanna say thank you to my wonderful loved ones, friends and family for showing up and making this song and emotion pic so special. Special thank you to my brother Alan Ferguson (been making things together since many moons). Directing this one together was full circle and so damn fun.”
The three-minute-26-second video, which, according to Monáe, was “inspired by my f.a.m., made with my f.a.m, for my f.a.m.”, kicks off with the singer receiving a kiss-of-life at the poolside from another woman.
The dreamy pop track then bursts to life as we dive straight into the booty-shaking, body-painted and orgy-filled party that isn’t afraid to show lots of flesh in this sensual celebration of the female gaze.
The video celebrates bodies of all shapes and sizes with joyous vibes. It features everything from Monáe caressing an ar*e to bizarrely eating a shoe, ending with her surrounded by sex toys while lying on a bed. Slay.
It is the perfect hazy summer day song to put on repeat, and fans have gone wild.
“That ‘Lipstick Lover’ video is Black queer excellence. Wow,” one fan wrote.
Another said: “Janelle Monáe made the gayest video I have ever seen in my life.”
A third went as far as to say: “Janelle Monáe’s new-found dedication to public nudity is a marvel to behold. May she continue to be blessed with good lighting and premium moisturiser.”
The Age of Pleasure is due to be released on 9 June.
