Janelle Monae casually claims she's a time traveler: 'I traveled back into the 1970s'

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  Travel and Leisure on Wed, Oct 22nd, 2025 by USA Today

Janelle Monáe Takes Us on a Musical Time‑Travel Journey with David Bowie Tribute and Lucy Dacus Collaboration

In a dazzling blend of nostalgia and innovation, Janelle Monáe announced her forthcoming album, Time Travel, on October 22, 2025. The record, slated for release in early 2026, promises a sonic odyssey that weaves together Monáe’s signature Afrofuturist flair, a heartfelt homage to the late David Bowie, and a fresh partnership with indie‑rock darling Lucy Dacus. The announcement, shared on USA Today’s entertainment desk, has set fans abuzz and critics alike eager to dissect how Monáe’s creative compass has shifted over the past decade.

A Tribute to a Legend

Monáe’s affection for Bowie is as earnest as it is lyrical. In the article’s quoted interview, she recalled her first encounter with Bowie’s music: “I was six, and my parents had an old vinyl of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust spinning in the living room. That was the moment I realized music could be a vehicle for storytelling, identity, and boundary‑pushing.” She cited Bowie’s chameleonic personas—Ziggy, Aladdin Sane, The Thin White Duke—as early inspiration for her own alter‑ego, Cindi Mayweather, and her thematic explorations of gender and futurism.

Monáe also shared that the Time Travel album will feature a reinterpretation of Bowie’s 1977 classic “Heroes.” While the track retains the original’s soaring chorus, Monáe layers it with contemporary trap drums and synth layers, creating a bridge between 70s glam rock and modern pop‑hip‑hop. The cover’s visual aesthetic—glittering, neon‑lit stage backdrops reminiscent of The Rise and Fall tour—was teased in a short music video posted to her official YouTube channel. The video, which also includes cameos from artists like Solange and Janelle Monáe’s own dancers, was set to premiere on the same day as the album announcement.

For fans interested in a deeper dive into Bowie’s influence, the article links to an extensive feature on David Bowie’s career timeline, available at a dedicated USA Today archive page that traces his evolution from glam rock to art‑pop experimentation. The link provides context on Bowie’s impact on subsequent generations of musicians, underscoring Monáe’s own commitment to pushing cultural boundaries.

Lucy Dacus Joins the Journey

While Monáe’s name alone commands attention, the inclusion of Lucy Dacus adds a new dimension to Time Travel. Dacus, best known for her 2024 album The Good Life—a critically acclaimed collection of introspective folk‑rock tracks—has long been an admirer of Monáe’s artistry. In a separate interview included in the article, Dacus explained the genesis of their collaboration: “I’ve always wanted to fuse my storytelling with something more upbeat, more expansive. Janelle’s vision for Time Travel is exactly that—a place where narrative meets sonic adventure.”

The duo’s partnership manifests on two tracks: a duet titled “Eternal Now” that melds Dacus’s crisp, melodic vocals with Monáe’s layered harmonies, and a co‑written ballad called “Starlight Journey” that uses both artists’ lyrical prowess to explore themes of memory and time. Monáe praised Dacus’s “raw emotional honesty” as the perfect counterbalance to her own more experimental soundscapes.

Readers of the article can follow a link to Dacus’s official website (lucydacus.com), where a pre‑order for The Good Life is available, and a separate promotional page for her upcoming 2025 tour dates. Fans are encouraged to watch a live performance clip of “Eternal Now” from the recent SXSW showcase, where Monáe and Dacus shared the stage and discussed the significance of collaboration in modern music.

Conceptualizing Time Travel

Beyond the obvious musical references, Monáe uses Time Travel as a metaphor for cultural continuity. In the piece, she elaborates on the album’s overarching narrative: “Time travel isn’t just about moving through dates. It’s about revisiting the past to inform the future, and that’s what my music always tries to do.” This theme is reflected in the album’s tracklist, which juxtaposes retro-inspired beats with forward‑thinking production techniques. Notably, the second track, “Retro‑Future,” samples a line from Bowie’s “Space Oddity” while employing hyper‑loop basslines—a nod to both the past and speculative future technologies.

The article also notes that Monáe has been collaborating with a team of visual artists to create a multimedia experience for the album’s release. The planned release includes a short film—directed by Monáe herself—that incorporates archival footage of Bowie, contemporary footage of Dacus, and Monáe’s own conceptual visuals. This film is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2026, and a teaser was included in the article, linking to a video on the festival’s official site.

Anticipation Builds

As the article draws to a close, Monáe’s excitement is palpable. She encourages fans to explore her past work, specifically citing her 2018 album Dirty Computer and the 2022 live EP The Future Is Now, both of which were celebrated for their bold artistic statements. The article includes a side panel featuring a list of Monáe’s previous collaborations with other high‑profile artists—such as Beyoncé on “Sledgehammer,” Beyoncé’s “Formation” remix, and Solange’s “Cranes in the Sky”—illustrating her knack for blending genres.

With the official announcement, the music industry is abuzz: streaming services have already begun building pre‑save campaigns for Time Travel, while the social media sphere is flooded with fan art and speculation on track titles. Monáe’s own Twitter feed—linked in the article—has seen an influx of replies, as fans ask about the potential release date, the specific Bowie covers, and whether Dacus will tour with her in 2026.

Looking Ahead

In sum, Janelle Monáe’s Time Travel is poised to become a landmark release that bridges generational musical styles, pays homage to a transformative icon, and brings fresh collaboration to the forefront. Through her thoughtful integration of David Bowie’s legacy and Lucy Dacus’s narrative sensibility, Monáe expands the definition of what it means to traverse time—musically, culturally, and emotionally. As the album’s release date inches closer, the anticipation is not just for new music but for an immersive experience that redefines artistic possibility.