Janelle Monáe Details an Important Lesson Learned from Prince: 'Cut Everything Down in Half'

The multi-hyphenate star explained in an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music what Prince would say to his band when they needed to slow down

It's been several years since Janelle Monáe worked with Prince on 2013's The Electric Lady and beyond, but the musician still holds his advice close.

In a new interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, the multi-hyphenate star revealed what the late superstar taught them about overcoming nerves — in both music and life.

“Cut it down in half. That’s what Prince would say to his band,” Monáe, 37, shared. “He would be like, sometimes when people have jitters or nervous or whatever, they play too fast or they’re talking fast. He’s like, ‘Cut everything down in half.' ”

“And I take that approach in life, cut it down in half,” Monáe added.

As the musician explained, “Sometimes you have to say no," and "Sometimes you’ll miss out on opportunities that you think could have taken you to the next level."

Related: Janelle Monáe Goes Topless in Underwater Cover Artwork for Her New Album 'The Age of Pleasure'

"Because it’s always like, well, what if they don’t call me anymore? That fear, you got to deal with that. I had to deal with it," they then said. "I was like, you know what? I have to realize being present for me is my north star."

“If I’m split between all these different worlds, and I’m always thinking about what’s next? What’s next? What’s next? Was I here? Did I live? Did I really live, or was I sort of spending so much time planning and worrying and worrying and rehearsing what could happen and what I need to do next," they added.

“My fear was always messing up publicly or doing something that feeds into that perfectionism, that feeds into, I had to deal with rejection, abandonment issues, all of that. I literally had to go back to the root of where is this stemming from? But I didn’t even know I was dealing with it because I was so in it.”

Monáe and Prince previously teamed up on track "Givin' Em What They Love" off The Electric Lady. Monáe's Grammy nominated 2018 LP Dirty Computer also featured some involvement from the "Purple Rain" singer — specifically on the single "Make Me Feel."

In a 2018 interview with the New York Times Magazine, the musician revealed that Prince's unexpected death in April 2016 played a role in their decision to take a break from music.

“This was the person that I would literally call and talk to about sounds or: ‘How should I say this? Is this saying too much?’ I just never could imagine a time where I couldn’t pick up the phone or email him, and he’d contact me right back and we’d talk about all these things that I was unsure of,” they said.

“I couldn’t fake being vulnerable,” Monáe added. “In terms of how I will be remembered, I have anxiety around that, like the whole concept about what I’ll be remembered for.”

Last month, Monáe announced The Age of Pleasure, which they officially released on Friday. The new album features single "Lipstick Lover," and around its release, the musician also opened up to Lowe about the inspirations behind the project.

Related: Lupita Nyong'o Says She 'Was Not Surprised' by Past Janelle Monáe Dating Rumors

"All the songs were written from such an honest space," Monáe told the host, noting that making music still proves to be a challenge 15 years into their career. "Look, it never stops. Even with this album, this project. I'm just like, 'You know what? It takes work.' I have to learn things all over again. I have to practice. I have to... And thank God I love the songs. Yeah. So it's always a fun thing to do. It's like starting on a blank canvas."

They explained that their hope with this album is for fans to see that they've "had an opportunity to evolve and grow and to tap into the things that bring me pleasure, the things that perhaps I should rethink and rework."

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