"Pynk" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson (; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, rapper and actress. She is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as to her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society. Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Mon� ...

for her third studio album, ''

Dirty Computer ''Dirty Computer'' is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Janelle Monáe, released on April 27, 2018, by Wondaland Arts Society, Bad Boy Records and Atlantic Records. It is the follow-up to her studio albums '' The ArchAndro ...

'' (2018). It features Canadian

art pop Art pop (also typeset art-pop or artpop) is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre draws on pop art's ...

musician

Grimes Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her early work has been described as extending from "lo-fi R&B" to futuristic dance-pop, and has in ...

and interpolates the song "

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

" by

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

, with members of the band being credited as co-writers. Lyrically, the song continues Monáe's female empowerment theme previously expressed in "

Django Jane "Django Jane" is a song recorded by singer and songwriter Janelle Monáe, released on February 22, 2018 as the second single, alongside " Make Me Feel", from her third studio album, ''Dirty Computer''. The song features Monáe rapping instead of s ...

". The third single from ''Dirty Computer'', a music video for the song was uploaded to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

on April 10, 2018.

Background

Monáe describes the song as, "a celebration of creation, self love, sexuality and pussy power", and that the color pink "unites all of humanity" because it is the color "found in the deepest and darkest nooks and crannies of humans everywhere." In the

CD liner notes, Monáe describes the song's origins: "Inspired by

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

's mischievous smile as he played organ on "Hot Thang" and watched

Cat Glover Catherine Vernice Glover (born July 23, 1964) is an American professional choreographer, dancer, and singer. She originally hit the mainstream in television alongside her dance partner Patrick Allen in the duo known simply as "Pat & Cat" on th ...

shimmy across the stage in "Sign O' The Times" and by

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

, Sheela Na Gig,

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...

Sheba Sheba (; he, ''Šəḇāʾ''; ar, سبأ ''Sabaʾ''; Ge'ez: ሳባ ''Saba'') is a kingdom mentioned in the Hebrew Bible ( Old Testament) and the Quran. Sheba features in Jewish, Muslim, and Christian traditions, particularly the Ethiopian Ort ...

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

and all the Mothergoddess sculptures and paintings in pyramids, churches and castles around the world; midnight conversations and debates about The Great Cosmic Mother; insights from The Vagina by

Naomi Wolf Naomi Rebekah Wolf (born November 12, 1962) is an American feminist author, journalist and conspiracy theorist. Following her first book '' The Beauty Myth'' (1991), she became a leading spokeswoman of what has been described as the third wave ...

f, and Interior Scroll by

Carolee Schneemann Carolee Schneemann (October 12, 1939 – March 6, 2019) was an American visual experimental artist, known for her multi-media works on the body, narrative, sexuality and gender. She received a B.A. in poetry and philosophy from Bard College and ...

and the calligraphy of Sun Ping; and

Paul Simonon Paul Gustave Simonon (; born 15 December 1955) is an English musician and artist best known as the bassist for the Clash. More recent work includes his involvement in the supergroup the Good, the Bad & the Queen and playing on the Gorillaz alb ...

's quote that "pink is the only true rock n' roll color.""

Critical reception

“Pynk” received critical acclaim.

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

praised "Pynk" and awarded it Best New Track. Eve Barlow stated: "As an expression of unity and an appeal to see people beyond gender, the song’s genre-bending sonics and the video’s femme-dominated utopia underscore Monáe’s long-held desires for a more fluid society."

Music video

The music video was directed by Emma Westenberg and was uploaded to Monáe's YouTube account on April 10, 2018. It features actress

Tessa Thompson Tessa Lynne Thompson (born October 3, 1983) is an American actress. She began her professional acting career with the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company while studying at Santa Monica College. She appeared in productions of '' The Tempest ...

, a frequent collaborator of Monáe's. The plot finds Monáe and Thompson along with a group of other women dancing in a desert, having a slumber party and sitting out by a pool while expressing appreciation for the vagina. The distinctive pink vulva trousers worn by the dancers were designed by

Duran Lantink Duran or Durán may refer to: Places * Duran, Gers, a commune in France * Durán, Ecuador * Duran, Iran, a village in Zanjan Province, Iran * Duran, New Mexico * Duran, a barangay in Dumalag, Capiz, Philippines Entertainment * Duran (comics), a s ...

Awards and nominations

Use in media

The song is played at the end of episode 6 of

Michaela Coel Michaela Ewuraba Boakye-Collinson (born 1 October 1987), known professionally as Michaela Coel, is a British screenwriter and actress. She is best known for creating and starring in the E4 sitcom ''Chewing Gum'' (2015–2017), for which she won ...

's drama ''

I May Destroy You ''I May Destroy You'' is a British black comedy-drama television limited series created, written, co-directed, and executive produced by Michaela Coel for BBC One and HBO. The series is set in London with a predominantly Black British cast. ...

''.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pynk 2018 singles 2018 songs Janelle Monáe songs Songs written by Janelle Monáe LGBT-related songs Grimes songs Songs written by Tayla Parx Songs written by Steven Tyler Songs written by Glen Ballard Songs with feminist themes