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Songbird Janelle Monae covers ESSENCE Magazine’s May 2013 issue in a gorgeous Yves Saint Laurent blouse, Chanel vintage earrings, and her signature pompadour paired with a bold red lip.

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Janelle gives up the deets on her newest album, Electric Lady, due out this summer, and why she’s decided to cover up her more than enviable figure!

About her style:

“People don’t ask Jay-Z to take his shirt off when he rhymes,” she replies defiantly, ”redefine what it means to be sexy and what it means to be a woman. Showing my skin is not what makes me sexy. I like skirts and dresses just like everyone else, but I had a message I needed to put out there. It was up to me to show people and young girls there was another way.”

About what she considers beautiful:

“I love givers. I love when I find out that someone’s given. I think people who give and give their time are some of the most beautiful people that I know.”

For the full interview with Janelle Monáe, pick up the May issue of ESSENCE on newsstands April 5th.

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Janelle Monae Covers ESSENCE Magazine: ‘The Tuxedo Will Out Live Us All’  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com