Janelle Monáe Says She Time Traveled to a David Bowie Show

Janelle Monáe might just have powers the rest of us are still trying to unlock. In a new Rolling Stone “Musicians on Musicians” conversation with singer Lucy Dacus, the “Make Me Feel” artist claimed she once traveled back in time to the 1970s — specifically, to catch David Bowie performing The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

While talking about her love for Halloween and transformation, Monáe casually dropped the claim. “I’ve always loved transforming, and I think that’s what I love about Halloween, and that’s what I love about world building through music,” she said. “I think when I saw David Bowie...”

Dacus, understandably thrown off, asked, “You saw him?”

“I did,” Monáe replied with complete seriousness. “I traveled back into the 1970s, and I saw him do Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and it was incredible.”

The “Night Shift” singer stared, clearly trying to process this information. “You traveled back,” Dacus repeated.

“Yeah, I was backstage,” Monáe continued matter-of-factly. “I was like, ‘This is what I want to do,’ and so I jetted back to 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 in sexuality, but just in how we see the world.”

The clip quickly made its way to Instagram, where fans couldn’t get enough of the moment. “My girl Lucy had the reaction for all of us,” one person commented. Another wrote, “Lucy is using superhuman strength here to keep a straight face.”

Others cheered on Monáe’s confidence. “Janelle was like did I stutter when she reiterated her point and you know I love that for her,” someone said. One particularly enthusiastic believer added, “With psychedelics, all things are possible. And this is Janelle Monáe!! I believe her.”

Back in the present day, Monáe circled back to her original point about Halloween and creativity. For her, it’s not just about costumes — it’s about freedom. “People give themselves permission to be on my frequency,” she said. “Let’s transform. Let’s play. Let’s go outside the mundane and what people know us as every day. Leave room to allow yourself to transform.”

That passion for transformation is also fueling her next project. Monáe revealed she’s currently writing a screenplay — one she plans to fully bring to life herself. “The goal has always been to write, star in, do the soundtrack, produce,” she said. “A lot of things, I know, but I have to fully realize an idea, and I know that I will not stop until I get this.”

She even joked about how creative ideas can be slow to come together. “I wish I had some sort of pipe that I can push in my brain,” she said. “Because the time that it takes... You have the idea, and to realize it, you gotta talk to all these people. I’m just like, ‘I see it!’”

Maybe that’s the secret: when you can already see the future — or the past — patience is the real magic trick.