Hear Janelle Monae’s Uplifting New Song ‘Stronger’

Janelle Monaé has dropped a new single, “Stronger,” from the new animated Netflix series We the People.

The 10-episode show, which was produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, debuts July 4th and centers on civic engagement. The episodes will include musicians like Monaé, H.E.R., Andra Day, Brandi Carlile, and Adam Lambert teaching viewers in song, which the singer evokes in her new track.

“Even when we struggle and we get kicked down/We pick each other up with a little polish,” Monaé sings. “All of my friends want a legacy/Don’t wanna be left out/Every time you think we get a little weak/We get a little bit stronger.”

Monáe’s last album, Dirty Computer, dropped in 2018. She has released several one-off tracks since, including “Turntables,” which was written for All In: The Fight for Democracy, the documentary about Stacey Abrams and the history of voter suppression in the United States.

The singer spoke with Rolling Stone last year about writing “Turntables” and her interest in using music to urge change.

“What is a revolution without a song?” she said. “I started thinking about all the people on the front line. What could be my gift to them? It was this song to remind them that the tables are turning. We’re seeing that progress is being made, even in the midst of dealing with such traumatic events. We have figured out a way to be the solution. I wanted this to be my gift because revolutionaries need love too. They need inspiration, and they need an anthem. This is my stab at that.”