Sony Music Publishing announced the signing of Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, actor, and activist Janelle Monáe to an exclusive, worldwide administration agreement.
Janelle Monáe is widely celebrated as an artist who defies genre – touching soul, R&B, rap, jazz and classical while making a sound of her own. She is a pop superstar with eight Grammy nominations and a globally successful career. Monáe co-founded her own label imprint, Wondaland Arts Society, which recently launched its production arm, Wondaland Pictures. As an actor Monáe has starred in critically acclaimed films including Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Harriet, The Glorias, the television series Homecoming and most recently starred in the horror-film Antebellum. Up next, Monáe will begin filming the highly anticipated sequel Knives Out 2.
“As an artist who is constantly reinventing myself, I feel like I’m just getting started,” said Janelle Monáe.“I am excited about partnering with Big Jon and the rest of my new Sony family to help shape the future of music in the record industry as well as the fashion, and tv and film space.”
Sony Music Publishing Chairman and CEO Jon Platt said, “I have been chasing the opportunity to work with Janelle since the beginning of her career. I am very grateful to welcome her to Sony Music Publishing, and I look forward to building something incredible with Janelle and the Wondaland Arts family.”
“Janelle Monáe’s powerful influence as a songwriter is undeniable – her music speaks volumes for so many. We are proud to partner with Janelle and her team to further amplify her voice and create the best opportunities for her songs across all platforms,” said Sony Music Publishing President, Global Chief Marketing Officer Brian Monaco.
Recently, Monáe has been working on new music alongside hit songwriters and producers Nate “Rocket” Wonder and Chuck Lightning, who both also signed with Sony Music Publishing. Wonder and Lightning have long been close collaborators with Janelle, and are widely recognized for their work as core architects behind Janelle Monáe’s Afro-futuristic album manifestos: Metropolis: Suite I: The Chase (2008); The ArchAndroid (2010), The Electric Lady (2013), and Dirty Computer (2018).
“As an artist and writer, I’m incredibly excited to impact culture, hearts and minds in bold new ways with the broad expertise and resources of our new Sony family. And I continue to believe that great music is needed more than ever right now, as a universal language that spreads wonder, change and understanding throughout the world,” added Chuck Lightning.
“As an artist and music producer in the record industry, tv, and film space I am quite excited about this next chapter with Sony,” said Nate Wonder. “I hope to help shape hearts and minds with the wonderful gift that is music.”
About Nate Wonder: Grammy nominated Nate “Rocket” Wonder is Co-Founder of Wondaland Arts Society and is well known for his work as a longtime co-producer and co-writer with Janelle Monáe. He is also a member of the riotous duo known as Deep Cotton, a punk-funk group. Recently, Wonder scored his first feature film, Antebellum (2020), along with Roman GianArthur. He also produced Janelle Monáe’s powerful anthem “Turntables” for the Stacey Abrams led, Lisa Cortés and Liz Gabrus directed documentary All In: The Fight For Democracy. He plans to release his debut album later this year.
About Chuck Lightning: As Co-Founder/Chief Creative Officer of Wondaland Pictures and Wondaland Arts Society, Chuck Lightning is widely recognized for his work as a longtime co-producer and co-writer with Janelle Monáe. He has worked on several of Ms. Monáe’s critically acclaimed projects, including the celebrated film Dirty Computer (2018). Currently, he is writing and developing several film projects across genres, including the horror film Black Apples; the gangster love story Mad Crazy Visionz; and The ArchAndroid – an epic science fiction film based on Janelle Monáe’s album The ArchAndroid.
