How Janelle and Kimbra found each other

By Bridget Jones

Other·

15 May, 2014 12:00 AM3 mins to read

Janelle Monae and Kimbra will perform together after their individual sets.

Camaraderie will trump competition when it comes to putting on the best show, says Kimbra, referring to her upcoming tour with Janelle Monae. Bridget Jones reports.

Many an ill-fated romance has begun at the bar long after witching hour, but Kimbra reckons her late-night hook-up with Janelle Monae was the start of something special.

The Settle Down singer is a self-confessed Monae fan-girl. So being invited into her dressing room while they were both performing at Switzerland's Montreux Jazz Festival last year was a big deal; it was the chance for Kimbra to tell one of her idols how inspiring she was.

They talked about their shared love of Prince, and Kimbra grilled the Electric Lady about the industry, drawing on her insights of being through the same things she was facing after the success of Somebody That I Used to Know - just "a couple of career-steps ahead".

Then later that night, when the pair bumped into one another in their hotel bar, there was only one choice: a late-night jam session with both backing bands in tow.

"I heard a rumour Quincy Jones was there that night, too, which is crazy," Kimbra says from her LA home.

The pair clearly hit it off and a year later, a firm friendship has blossomed alongside the birth of The Golden Electric Tour - a co-headlining show with a difference.

To give fans a taste of what to expect when they join forces, Monae and Kimbra recorded a single together; a mash-up of Aretha Franklin's Rock Steady and Michael Jackson's Wanna be Startin' Somethin'. The track was recorded in just one day.

"There were so many songs we wanted to cover, but I guess they will have to wait for the show," Kimbra says, explaining the decision, and the premise of the tour, which makes just one local stop at Auckland's Vector Arena next week.

It will be Monae's first visit to New Zealand - and Kimbra says she is ready to play the proud tour-guide to the six-time Grammy nominee. But during the show the pair will explore something new, coming together to perform after working through their own sets.

Kimbra, who has just released 90s Music, the first single off her second album, says it's about creating something special for audiences; the chance to experience two worlds at the same time. There is an air of secrecy over just what those worlds will look - and sound - like, but Kimbra says there is an air of camaraderie rather than competition between the pair to see who can put on the best spectacle.

"I think if the show was with someone I didn't know then there might be the temptation to go out there and compete, but because we are friends, I think we just want to make the best night for the people who come along.

"There are similarities between what we do, but Janelle is much more black and white in her aesthetic, while I am all about the colour. It's about getting the best out of those two worlds and making something amazing for the audience."