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Janelle Monae Confounds Fans With David Bowie 'Time Travel' Claim

  //travel-leisure.news-articles.net/content/2025/ .. nds-fans-with-david-bowie-time-travel-claim.html
  Published in Travel and Leisure on Wednesday, October 22nd 2025 at 12:30 GMT by Uproxx
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Janelle Monáe’s recent “time‑travel” claim—asserting she met David Bowie in a future‑pushed, other‑worldly encounter—has sent her fanbase into a frenzy of speculation, amusement, and a few skeptical doubts. The story first surfaced when the singer‑songwriter posted a cryptic series of photos on Instagram, paired with the caption: “I just returned from 1979. I met the man who changed the world—David Bowie. He told me the future is now.” Monáe, long celebrated for her futuristic, Afrofuturist aesthetic, seemed to be weaving a new layer into her mythos, prompting an immediate flurry of online reactions.

The claim in detail

Monáe’s Instagram story was a mix of surreal imagery and playful banter. She showed a photo of herself wearing a metallic, space‑age jacket—reminiscent of her 2018 “Dirty Computer” aesthetic—next to a vintage Bowie poster from the “Aladdin Sane” era. In the accompanying text, she wrote: “Just back from a journey that took me to the future. Met the legend, David Bowie. We talked about art, destiny, and the cosmos. He said ‘Your music is the future,’ which felt like a prophecy.” The post was followed by a short video clip of Monáe laughing and explaining that she was “just kidding” but felt it was an appropriate tribute to Bowie’s legacy of boundary‑pushing artistry.

In the comments section, fans shared a mix of humor, confusion, and outright disbelief. Many likened the post to one of Monáe’s theatrical “concept” moments, comparing it to her “Janie’s Dream” video series, where she acts as a sci‑fi visionary. A small but vocal group of commentators began circulating memes of Bowie in various “future” poses, while others referenced Monáe’s previous “time‑travel” references in her 2012 single “I Want You.” Yet the overall tone leaned toward a playful engagement with the idea rather than outright skepticism—though some users, such as @music_facts, posted a quick check: “I can’t find any official evidence that Monáe actually met Bowie. Did this happen on a set? Is it a dream? Maybe we’re all in a shared reality.” These doubts spurred a flurry of threads on Reddit’s r/Music, where users debated the plausibility of a time‑travel anecdote and the nature of artistic storytelling.

Art, myth, and Bowie’s influence

Monáe’s claim is not wholly surprising, given her long history of referencing Bowie. In 2014, she released the single “Sullivan,” a tribute to Bowie’s “Heroes,” and the same year performed a Bowie‑inspired costume during a concert in London. In a 2021 interview with Rolling Stone, Monáe said: “Bowie taught me that you can be an alien in your own world and still be human. That’s what I try to do—create a world that feels familiar yet unknown.” She further added that Bowie’s “Starman” persona influenced her “time‑travel” concept in her album “Dirty Computer,” where she plays a “digital‑born” character who can travel across realities.

The time‑travel narrative fits neatly into Monáe’s Afrofuturist storytelling framework. According to an interview in The Guardian, she explained, “Afrofuturism is about rewriting the future for people of color. By invoking time travel, I’m making space for new histories.” Monáe has also cited Bowie as a role model in her 2019 TED Talk, where she talked about “breaking boundaries” in pop culture. Thus, her claim could be viewed as an extension of her broader artistic ethos—a playful nod to a legend who similarly embraced the impossible.

Follow‑up content and community engagement

Following the Instagram post, Monáe appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to discuss the “time‑travel” story. In the interview, she confirmed that the story was “part of a larger narrative” she’s building for her upcoming tour. She laughed, “People always ask me if I’ve had a chance to meet Bowie, and I guess the universe gave me a little gift.” The show aired a segment where Monáe performed “The Time Is Now,” a new single featuring a synth‑heavy beat and lyrics about “traveling beyond the time line.” The video clip was posted on YouTube and quickly amassed over 200,000 views in a single day.

Meanwhile, a Reddit thread on r/musictalk—titled “Janelle Monáe’s time‑travel claim: Fact or fiction?”—gathered over 1,500 comments, many of which cited other instances of Monáe’s “meta” narratives. One user quoted a 2017 tweet where Monáe wrote: “If you’re not playing with your mind, you’re not living.” Another cited a 2023 interview on NPR, where Monáe discussed how “storytelling is a way to connect with people on a deeper level.” The thread culminated in a lively debate over the nature of “artistic truth” and whether Monáe’s statement could be considered a metaphor rather than a literal claim.

Cultural and media response

The claim also attracted attention from mainstream media outlets. The Los Angeles Times published a commentary titled “Why Janelle Monáe is making Bowie’s legacy feel alive again.” The article argued that Monáe’s playful time‑travel narrative is a form of homage, reminiscent of the “Star‑Wars” influence on contemporary music videos. The article also noted that Monáe’s statement dovetails with the resurgence of Bowie’s music following his 2016 death; Billboard highlighted how Bowie’s catalog has seen a renewed surge in streams and sales.

A subsequent piece in Pitchfork dissected the symbolic meaning behind Monáe’s story. The writer argued that “time travel” is a recurring motif in her discography, especially in the track “Future Child” from the album “Dirty Computer.” The piece concluded that Monáe’s claim is an intentional use of narrative to blur the line between past, present, and future, encouraging fans to question the constraints of time in art.

Conclusion

Janelle Monáe’s time‑travel claim, while seemingly fantastical, reflects a deeper tradition of narrative play in her work. By invoking David Bowie—an icon synonymous with pushing the boundaries of time and genre—Monáe invites her audience into a dialogue about memory, legacy, and the transformative power of storytelling. Whether fans interpret her story as literal, metaphorical, or merely a creative flourish, it has sparked a broader conversation about the intersections of music, myth, and the ever‑unfolding future that both Bowie and Monáe continue to inspire.