Most of the tributes to Prince since his untimely death have focused on his slower songs, using them to create a moment of shared grief. But that was only a small part of Prince’s music: Most of it was upbeat, exuberant pop. And no one is more exuberant than Janelle Monáe. So she was the perfect person to run through some of his biggest hits at the BET Awards, turning in bubbly, on-point performances of “Delirious,” “Kiss,” “Pop Life,” and “I Would Die 4 U.”
Medleys are always a hard sell, and the transitions between songs have little to recommend them here, but Monáe nails all four songs (and three costume changes). “Delirious” is the standout performance—Monáe speeds it up, replaces Prince’s synth horns with the real thing, and sings it like it’s Motown—but the staccato punch she gives the chorus in “I Would Die 4 U” is the most exciting. Not only does it sell the joyful choreography, it shows what she’s learned from Prince and what she’s made entirely her own.
