Jason Isbell Surprised by Janelle Monáe’s ‘Lipstick Lover’ Video Backlash

Jason Isbell jumped on social media Friday afternoon (May 12) to defend Janelle Monáe and the buzzy music video for her new single “Lipstick Lover.”

“Wait there are people who DON’T like Janelle’s video?” the country singer tweeted. “Seriously I don’t know wtf you people want if it isn’t that.”

In a follow-up tweet, he doubled down, writing, “There are some things we all just agree [are] awesome so we can go about our business. Like gold, diamonds, Outkast, this video.”

While some trolls bemoaned the sensual nature of Monáe’s visual — on which she lustily intones, “I like lipstick on my neck/ Leave a sticky-icky in a place I won’t forget/ I like lipstick on my neck/ Baby I’m obsessed, get me undressed” — plenty of fans sided with Isbell in the video’s comments on YouTube. For example, one wrote, “This felt very for the female gaze, and I absolutely loved it! Everything about it feels like summer’s coming!” while another praised, “I love how she highlights natural beauty!! All shapes, colors, and sizes!”

“Lipstick Lover” is the latest highlight from the queer R&B star’s forthcoming album The Age of Pleasure, which is set to drop June 9 via Bad Boy and Atlantic Records and will also contain the summery, Seun Kuti and Egypt 80-assisted lead single “Float.”

Meanwhile, Isbell recently shared his HBO documentary Running With Our Eyes Closed with fans and used his platform to both speak out against Tennessee’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws and support commonsense gun safety legislation.

Read Isbell’s glowing opinion of Monáe’s “Lipstick Lover” video below.