Janelle Monáe

"Heroes" (David Bowie cover)

Photo: Marc Baptiste

BY Josiah HughesPublished Apr 2, 2014

R&B performer Janelle Monáe has covered David Bowie's classic song "Heroes" for a new Pepsi ad campaign. The song can be streamed here now.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, the singer said she's got nothing but love for the pop legend. "Bowie is part of my musical DNA in so many ways," she said. "And 'Heroes' is one of my favourite Bowie songs. When you love your favourite song, you want to keep some of the beautiful qualities of the original, but we brought Atlanta in the drums and wanted them to be thick and hit hard.... I thought, 'If this song was in my dream, how would it get from our dream to my reality?'"

Monáe's version of the song is certainly a reinvention, combining multiple vocal layers with plenty of synthesizers and some drum work that's both complicated and straightforward. Check it out below.

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