Janelle Monáe Does Her Best Sinéad in the Video for "Cold War"

It’s safe to say that Janelle Monáe’s 18-song epic The ArchAndroid is a near perfect record, effortlessly jumping between musical genres, vocal acrobatics, and engrossing songwriting. The video for her latest single “Cold War” is a simple enough concept, harking back to Sinéad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” and Alanis Morissette’s “Head Over Feet”. But unlike the former, Monáe’s delivery wavers between sincerity and insanity. There’s no question of her beauty, which is only escalated by this wonderfully apt video. It’s hard to take your eyes off of her, and the lack of distraction only propels the content of the song into sharp focus.