Overview
- In Rolling Stone’s Musicians on Musicians, Monáe told Lucy Dacus they traveled to the 1970s to see Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust show, saying they were backstage and that the moment fueled their queer-focused world-building.
- Dacus looked puzzled in the exchange, which appears in a widely shared video excerpt from the conversation.
- The moment spread quickly on social platforms, with TikTok views mounting and X posts drawing millions of views, as commenters debated whether Monáe was being literal, joking, or metaphorical.
- Coverage highlights that Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust tour occurred in 1972–73 and Monáe was born in 1985, a timeline detail framing the account as non-literal.
- Reports also note Bowie’s long-standing influence on Monáe’s Afrofuturist work, from the Cindi Mayweather persona to prior Bowie covers, as Rolling Stone promotes a Musicians on Musicians live event set for Oct. 23 in New York.