Janelle Monáe has claimed that she “travelled back into the 1970s” to watch David Bowie play the ‘Ziggy Stardust’ tour live.
The singer recently sat down for an extended chat with Lucy Dacus for Rolling Stone’s Musicians On Musicians series and when they were talking about their greatest inspirations, Monáe made a startling claim about one of her past experiences.
“I think when I saw David Bowie…” Monáe began, only for Dacus to interject with, “You saw him?”
“I did,” Monáe answered. “I travelled back into the 1970s and I saw him do ‘Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars’, and it was incredible.”
A bemused Dacus responded: “You travelled back…?”
.@JanelleMonae is a certified time traveler and saw David Bowie on stage. 🛸
"Yeah, I was backstage and I was like 'this is what I want to do.'" pic.twitter.com/8UKt5bTWiy
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) October 20, 2025
“Yeah, I was backstage and I was like, this is what I want to do,” Monáe continued. “And so I jetted back to, you know, the 2000s and I was like, I can have the musical, make the music, create the lyrics and create community around transformation and being Queer. And not even just in sexuality but just in how we see the world. Let’s go outside the mundane and what people know us as every day. Leave room to allow yourself to transform.”
Watch the full 27-minute video here:
Monáe has often spoken about Bowie as a major influence, and in 2014 she covered his classic track ‘Heroes’ for a Pepsi Max FutbolNow commercial in connection with the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
She told NME at the time: “I’m a huge David Bowie lover and comrade and he has been part of my musical DNA for quite some time. The song just emboldens me as an artist and I wanted to embolden the people as well. It makes me feel as though we can break through any chains we may have shackling us as a humanity. It’s very hopeful and inspirational, and I think we can never have enough of that.”
“I’m flattered by people comparing me to David Bowie, but I’m Janelle Monáe at the end of the day,” she added. “He’s definitely in my musical DNA and we probably share some of the same aesthetic, but I’m a woman. And I embrace my womanism as much as I possibly can.”
Elsewhere, Monáe labelled Nelly a “motherfucking fool” at a Grammys afterparty this year for performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
“I care about women, I care about Hispanics, I care about Spanish people. I care about Mexicans, I care about gay people. You sold out. I used to think you were cool. But now you look like a motherfucking fool,” she said. “Fuck you, n****. Get a new attitude… I might be a little tipsy but I know everything I’m motherfucking saying. Fuck you, Nelly!”
Elsewhere at the Grammys, Monáe joined Stevie Wonder for a tribute performance to the late Quincy Jones. For her segment, Monáe performed Michael Jackson‘s ‘Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough’, which was originally produced by Jones.