Hello, hello, it's Brook Divard and you're listening to the Naked Beauty Podcast in this

very special episode is presented by Martell, Blue Swift, and Acast Creative. Martell

Blue Swift is the very first spirit drink made of Konyak, VSOP, and then finished in

bourbon casks, a true innovation for its category. This is just one example of how the brand

has been redefining conventions for over 300 years. They want to inspire people to create their own

path. And like today's very special guest, open the doors for others to do the same. Now,

today's guest, I know you've seen the episode description, you see the title, you see it there

on whatever device you're listening on, but I just have to say it out loud so that it registers

that this is real and this is happening and that this happened. Today on Naked Beauty,

you're going to hear from my conversation with Janelle Monet. Yes, I interviewed multi-talented,

multi-dimensional, absolutely gorgeous inside and out Janelle Monet for Naked Beauty. And I will

tell you all my expectations were high. I know she is incredibly thoughtful, but this conversation far

exceeded every single expectation I had and we get right right into it. Like I mean from the first

question, we start unpacking trauma learned as a young girl about what good hair is, how light

skin was perceived as more beautiful than dark skin. And how only recently has she been able to,

and I think this is something that's very common amongst black women, been able to process those

conversations and those early notions of beauty from childhood and thinking about how we unlearn

those beauty standards. I'm also able to hear from her what it was like wearing her natural hair

at the beginning of her career and how it was perceived when she first came out with music onto

the scene. And I have always been a Janelle Monet fan. I saw her perform at Spelman College when I was

doing high school and she was just this young woman who commanded so much energy. She had so much

presence and I did notice her hair. She had this gorgeous blown out afro and to see her now with

...