To say Janelle Monáe, an actual icon [1], got the crowd going at Ralph Lauren's Fall 2019 RTW show [2] on Saturday night would be an understatement. She had people in a full-blown trance. The NYC venue — a Wall Street ballroom that Lauren transformed into a swingin' 1920s-esque nightclub — was completely immersed in the 33-year-old singer's powerful vocals [3] as she performed jazz hits, such as Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon [4]" and Nat King Cole's "Smile."
She also sang some of her own songs, including "Look Into My Eyes" and "Come Alive." Her performance of the latter was easily the highlight of her set as she weaved through the tables — and even crawled on the ground — crooning, shimmying, and getting attendees to sing along with her. Monáe got so into the music, she carelessly flung someone's food in the air before throwing a drink and kicking off her heels [5] (all of which have so much meme potential [6]). It's no wonder guests — including Anna Wintour, Henry Golding, and Luka Sabbat — couldn't stop smiling throughout the buoyant performance. Ahead, watch her take the stage at the 28:40 mark!
