Janelle Monae Honors Blues Legend Bessie Smith with Surprise NYC Performance

Janelle Monae recently honored the legacy of blues icon Bessie Smith, performing a high-energy set at Manhattan’s packed Stephan Weiss Studios to kick off HBO’s “Bessie’s 81 Theater Tour.”The invite-only event series enlists today’s music artists to help tell stories of the past. Backed by a full band and background singers, the petite performer danced across every inch of the stage, even momentarily leaping down and singing amongst the audience, which included Bessie director Dee Rees, AJ Calloway, Sylvia Rhone and John Singleton.