Janelle Monáe says she tested new tracks at house parties

What was said

""If people sat down, it was not going to go on the album. If people were not Shazam, it wasn't going on the album.""

Janelle Monáe describes using private house parties to ‘road-test’ songs that later appeared on The Age of Pleasure, saying she would write tracks during the week and play them to friends without telling them she was the artist. She says she watched crowd reactions, including whether guests reached for Shazam, and dropped songs that did not keep people dancing.