Janelle Monáe just proved once again that she is, in fact, the smoothest operator on this planet. The 39-year-old powerhouse hit the stage at the 2025 Grammy Awards on Sunday (February 2), turning Crypto.com Arena into her personal moonwalking playground.
The occasion? Oh, just a casual tribute to the legendary Quincy Jones, who basically has more musical masterpieces under his belt than we have unread emails.
And Janelle? She did not come to play.
Dressed to impress and armed with pure talent, she busted out a thrilling performance of Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough”—one of the many hits Quincy blessed the world with. And trust us, Janelle took the “don’t stop” part VERY seriously.
The Moonwalk, The Tank, The Moment
Janelle didn’t just sing. She transformed. She unleashed MJ’s signature moves, from the moonwalk to the “I’m-so-smooth-I-might-levitate” spins. And because she’s nothing if not committed to the theme, she rocked an “I ❤️ QJ” tank top—because when you pay tribute, you pay TRIBUTE.
Honestly, if Quincy were in the audience, he probably would’ve thrown a Grammy at her out of sheer respect.
But Wait, There’s More!
Before she hit the stage, Janelle was spotted slaying the red carpet alongside her Harriet co-star Cynthia Erivo—who ALSO performed during the tribute. Basically, this was a two-for-one deal in legendary performances, and we were just lucky to witness it.
Want to see Janelle moonwalk her way into history? Check out the video of her performance below… and try not to grab your fedora and attempt the moves yourself. (No promises on avoiding furniture collisions.)
Janelle Monáe performs "Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough" during the Quincy Jones tribute at the 2025 #Grammys pic.twitter.com/yvre306N38
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 3, 2025
