Alternative R&B visionary Janelle Monáe has released a new music video for “Turntables,” a single which originally appeared in the Amazon Studios documentary, All In: The Fight For Democracy. This documentary made its premiere in select studios last week and will be released via Amazon Prime in three days.
Like the documentary its featured in, “Turntables” discusses voting as a way to meaningfully impact societal change. The video features a unique blend of Monáe’s science fiction influences, showing VR and images of the performer singing in front of an American flag. Other images show clips of celebrated Black icons such as Muhammad Ali and Angela Davis. From a sonic perspective, “Turntables” is an uplifting anthem, pulling influences from funk and soul, with strong choruses and a confident aura that helps Monáe stand out.
All In: The Fight for Democracy documents the long and fractured history of voter suppression within the United States, capturing stories regarding personal experiences, contemporary civil rights activism and historical insights to scope out the full effects of our broken electoral process. The film is directed by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Liz Garbus and Oscar-nominated and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Lisa Cortés and prominently features Stacey Abrams, the former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives.
Monáe’s latest studio album release Dirty Computer was as eclectic as ever, pushing her lyrical direction to new depths while progressing her unique blends of electronic, funk, pop and R&B. She released music video for “Crazy Classic Life” that year and recently shared a tweet regarding Kamala Harris getting chosen as Joe Biden’s running mate.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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