IIAGY said:

Azz said:

What promotion?

Janelle sells from word of mouth

Then why is her commercials always on my TV playing the same dry music in the background, with the same dry themes, with the same dry head piece and same dry "costume" she wears. I saw her on various shows last week. I love the excuses and I use to be a fan, but I'm over it. Primetime is cool, but I'm not interested in listening to the album, let alone priviewing it. Neither is the buying public. Save those tired "well if she wore a thong" blah blah bla. Lorde's new single is doing just fine, Lana Del Ray is an international superstar. Adele just sold 25 MILLION albums worldwide. I can see the next excuse already. I just think it's funny that the weeknd who I had no idea had an album out, let alone a single can double her sales. She's a flop, will remain a flop, and all those who don like it will just have to DEAL. PS she's kinda cute, so kudos in that department.

A top 5 album is a flop to you? Wow, how many albums have you sold? Wizard of Oz wasn't a "hit" right away. But it has made bank since it's release.

xLiberiangirl said:

she is underrated, but i kinda like she's not really that big yet... so i can still see her play in small venues.

Time will come... people are not really ready yet for what she is doing right now. at least that's what i think. hopefully she'll do her own thing... that's what i like about her, she does her thing and doesn't follow what's hot right now.

That's how I feel. I love being able to see her in smaller venues. If she ever really blew up, she'd be playing at huge sports arenas, with bad acoustics. I think Janelle HAS gotten good promotion on this, but mainstream radio doesn't seem ready for her. Anyway, a slow build is a good way to have a long career. Her previous album only got to #17 on the Billboard chart; this one has already hit #5, so things are heading in the right direction.

Janelle performed at a small venue called People's Place in Amsterdam last night. It holds 650 people and it was packed. The show was simply a-ma-zing, one of the best concerts I have been to in a long time and I go to a LOT of concerts!

She is a very likeable entertainer, her band is tight and her songs work even better live than on record. She put on a hell of a show, stagediving and all. An amazing night!!

whitesockedfunk said:

Janelle performed at a small venue called People's Place in Amsterdam last night. It holds 650 people and it was packed. The show was simply a-ma-zing, one of the best concerts I have been to in a long time and I go to a LOT of concerts!

She is a very likeable entertainer, her band is tight and her songs work even better live than on record. She put on a hell of a show, stagediving and all. An amazing night!!

You were there?! I have been watching YouTube videos of the People's Place show. It looks amazing (especially Come Alive). What were the highlights for you?

CarolineC said:

whitesockedfunk said:

Janelle performed at a small venue called People's Place in Amsterdam last night. It holds 650 people and it was packed. The show was simply a-ma-zing, one of the best concerts I have been to in a long time and I go to a LOT of concerts!

She is a very likeable entertainer, her band is tight and her songs work even better live than on record. She put on a hell of a show, stagediving and all. An amazing night!!

You were there?! I have been watching YouTube videos of the People's Place show. It looks amazing (especially Come Alive). What were the highlights for you?

I was there too! it was amazing. the last time for me was 2 years ago in Melkweg in Amsterdam, i remember that as a great show but this was even better? i don't know, i felt like that for me! the new songs really were great live! show was little short (didn't expect a long show, but yeah i wanted more!) Come Alive was really the highlight for me. just love the craziness of that performance. but i loved all of it! People's Place is weird venue though. lol i never been there, and it was just so small!

IIAGY said:

Azz said:

What promotion?

Janelle sells from word of mouth

Then why is her commercials always on my TV playing the same dry music in the background, with the same dry themes, with the same dry head piece and same dry "costume" she wears. I saw her on various shows last week. I love the excuses and I use to be a fan, but I'm over it. Primetime is cool, but I'm not interested in listening to the album, let alone priviewing it. Neither is the buying public. Save those tired "well if she wore a thong" blah blah bla. Lorde's new single is doing just fine, Lana Del Ray is an international superstar. Adele just sold 25 MILLION albums worldwide. I can see the next excuse already. I just think it's funny that the weeknd who I had no idea had an album out, let alone a single can double her sales. She's a flop, will remain a flop, and all those who don like it will just have to DEAL. PS she's kinda cute, so kudos in that department.

being on tv for make up ads doesn't mean being on the radios..lana del rey is a superstar? in what world sorry? and even if she will become one she isn't even able to sing live at least janelle can put on an hell of a show and make great albums which is what I want personally from a musician plus the weeknd is very popular among teenagers in the States and everybody knew he had an album coming out strange you didn't hear about that..speaking about janelle at least her fanbase is growing she just had an album in top 5...I prefer to see her growing slowly with quality music than selling crazy doing a commercial album...

Musicslave said:

cindymay said:

I agree that Diddy and Atlantic should be ashamed and I still hope that she can find another partnership for the next record..because her potential is there...a top 5 record with no songs on the radios or hits training it..we all know what she could do with a promotion like the one for bruno mars...

I also agree that Dance Apocalyptic was a terrible choice ..plus it's my least favorite song on the album..primetime is the next single and it should have a video soon..but why isn't it receiving regular airplay on R&B radio? it's an R&B love song that sounds like an hit by the way...ft miguel and his songs receive airplays..

I saw an article the other day: read:

http://io9.com/are-janelle-monaes-science-fictional-lyrics-keeping-he-1309921218

I don't think the science fiction is the real reason why they don't want to pass her music on the radios...the comments under that article were more close to the real reasons imo..because we know that there are a A LOT of reasons why the radio stations don't want to give her airplays..

[Edited 9/19/13 11:59am]

-

Really now? At least you're not one of those delusional fans that think every move she makes is genius. I think this project is still redeemable. They just have a to do a better job strategically. I have to check out that article. As I've said before, she has to really make every move count because she's going against the "system" or the general grain of thought in modern R&B/Pop music.

I know she has some fans that are totally like that ..and I don't think they help her at all..but I guess that every artist has his/her stans.. dance apocalyptic was a terrible choice for the single plus considering that the album is really good and had other songs than could be singles imo at least it was really terrible;-)

Janelle is just fine yall, her material is radio-friendly so the main problem is as cindymay mentioned: the promotion, her label sucks big time at making her a dominant us act, they need to invest in her and do the exact same thing they do with Bruno Mars, maybe yall can blame also the fact that she's not a pop girl like Britney or whatever, she does funk and r&b songs, and artists like her don't go fully worldwide these days.

With a little more promotion, or who am I kiddin? with a big ass promo, and her label deciding to going pop with her material as well as airing it on R&B radio stations, this album may be a sleeper hit.

Janelle has to do nothing, she accomplished her personality in every way, look-wise, stage-wise, her music, her voice, she's different and one of a kind, the rest is on her label & what people wanna hear.

Shawy89 said:

Janelle is just fine yall, her material is radio-friendly so the main problem is as cindymay mentioned: the promotion, her label sucks big time at making her a dominant us act, they need to invest in her and do the exact same thing they do with Bruno Mars, maybe yall can blame also the fact that she's not a pop girl like Britney or whatever, she does funk and r&b songs, and artists like her don't go fully worldwide these days.

With a little more promotion, or who am I kiddin? with a big ass promo, and her label deciding to going pop with her material as well as airing it on R&B radio stations, this album may be a sleeper hit.

Janelle has to do nothing, she accomplished her personality in every way, look-wise, stage-wise, her music, her voice, she's different and one of a kind, the rest is on her label & what people wanna hear.

yes totally it's not her fault she keeps to do these huge critically acclaimed albums,plus she is one of the best live performers out there...she is a beautiful and smart woman.. it's not HER the problem..she has more talent in her pinky finger than a lot of these people who are outselling her combined...one problem is her label as we said before.. the other is her race: janelle doesn't do the typical music for a black artist( in every possible way: themes in her music, sounds etc)..I saw some reviews saying that sadly janelle's creativity in music and the fact she doesn't want to do what a black artist is supposed to do is giving her some problems for being recognized by the masses...especially for metropolis and the archandroid the black audiences shouldn't have been her primary market..more like indie pop/rock audiences ..that was her market.. but since she is black she wasn't.. plus radios don't want to give her airplay saying as an excuse it's because they don't know which genres the next single could be..but I guess this problem is related to the fact her label isn't pushing her...

[Edited 9/24/13 7:39am]

[Edited 9/24/13 7:40am]

Loving the new album! Some great funky tunes on there with some varied music styles going on...Love the strings too. I think it maybe slows down a bit towards the end but overall a top album by one of the best new artists out there.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/wa...5uwP7gogZQ[/youtube]

Her voice is great

By the way, why are some people so concerned on whether this album is a hit or not? It's a great piece of work which doesn't need to sell millions to the mainstream to prove itself.

SONNYT said:

By the way, why are some people so concerned on whether this album is a hit or not? It's a great piece of work which doesn't need to sell millions to the mainstream to prove itself.

I have to disagree man, these people just feel bad that a great album like The Electric Lady doesn't get to be a successfull WW release like other albums, people would never know who Janelle Monae is, what does her music sound like... It proved itself between critics, it's a great album, but people should hear it first.

Yeah, fair enough. She should have a wider audience but I'm sure the big time is on the horizon for her.

SONNYT said:

By the way, why are some people so concerned on whether this album is a hit or not? It's a great piece of work which doesn't need to sell millions to the mainstream to prove itself.

If you don't sell albums, you don't expand your fanbase. If you don't expand your fanbase, you disappear.

I saw a youtube video of Van Hunt opening for Lianne La Havas. He was onstage by himself with a guitar singing Down Here in Hell and no one was paying attention to him. That's what happens when you don't sell albums.

[Edited 10/6/13 10:46am]

lrn36 said:

SONNYT said:

By the way, why are some people so concerned on whether this album is a hit or not? It's a great piece of work which doesn't need to sell millions to the mainstream to prove itself.

If you don't sell albums, you don't expand your fanbase. If you don't expand your fanbase, you disappear.

I saw a youtube video of Van Hunt opening for Lianne La Havas. He was onstage by himself with a guitar singing Down Here in Hell and no one was paying attention to him. That's what happens when you don't sell albums.

[Edited 10/6/13 10:46am]

Box Car Willie sold his 100 million albums mostly through tv commercials. Perhaps Ms. Monae should too?

lrn36 said:

SONNYT said:

By the way, why are some people so concerned on whether this album is a hit or not? It's a great piece of work which doesn't need to sell millions to the mainstream to prove itself.

If you don't sell albums, you don't expand your fanbase. If you don't expand your fanbase, you disappear.

I saw a youtube video of Van Hunt opening for Lianne La Havas. He was onstage by himself with a guitar singing Down Here in Hell and no one was paying attention to him. That's what happens when you don't sell albums.

[Edited 10/6/13 10:46am]

She's sellling album though....Her fanbase has clearly grown from The ArchAndroid to The Electric Lady. Is she one of the biggest pop stars on the charts? No. But, she's selling records.