Electro-soul pop goddess Janelle Monae dances through the decades as she travels through time in Pepsi’s new Super Bowl ad, which hit nationwide this morning (Feb. 4).
The commercial, directed by Samuel Bayer, also marks the singer’s first major commercial for Pepsi. The electrifying chanteuse channels James Brown, Michael Jackson and Madonna along the way as she heads back to the ‘60s, then springs forward to the ‘80s before going further ahead to present day as Pepsi’s own evolving logo changes to represent its transformation over the years.
“One of the things I love is that I had major input in the creative,” Monae told Billboard on the second day of the shoot. “I consider myself a time traveler, so I was excited when they told me we’d be time traveling. It’s about the joy of dance and has some nostalgic moments. The last portion of the commercial is my own reinterpretation of Pepsi’s ‘The Joy of Cola’ [a campaign originally launched in 1999]. I pray people are inspired by this commercial, especially young, aspiring artists and females.”
Super Bowl 50 takes place this Sunday, when tens of millions of people around the nation gorge themselves and drunkenly celebrate concussions, billions of dollars in advertisement and a halftime show by the milkiest band on the planet, Coldplay. Those commercials are gonna be great.
Photo: Getty
