Cold War

The ArchAndroid continues the story of Monáe's muse, android Cindi Mayweather, which the Kansas City born singer-songwriter started on her 2007 debut EP, Metropolis Suite I of IV: The Chase. She told Billboard magazine in this song she "reveals what the ArchAndroid looks like."

In an interview with Artist Direct, Monáe was asked if she'd had the story of The ArchAndroid for a while or did the music dictate it. She replied: "The story of The ArchAndroid is one that's been going around for centuries in Metropolis. Lots of people didn't believe in The ArchAndroid at all. It's very similar to The Archangel or if you think about Neyo in The Matrix—it's 'The One.' For the android community, The ArchAndroid signifies freedom and is a beacon of hope because they're locked in spells cast upon them and they're discriminated against. They're not treated fairly at all, and they're just excited about The ArchAndroid coming. Cindi Mayweather finds out that she is indeed The ArchAndroid. The story spoke so much to me, and it's one that I wanted people to know. It's a self-realizational album. I realized a lot about myself through creating this project. I learned to embrace things that make me unique even if they make myself uncomfortable sometimes . I also learned to use that as my superpower to become an even bigger agent of change. I wanted the story to be told because it helped transform my thinking and the way I see music and its power."

Monáe suggested to Billboard magazine that The ArchAndroid is inspired by colors and dreams. "If I say I want a song to feel bold red, or if I had a song come to me in my dreams, it usually means there was a lot of color in it," she said. "What I tried to do is make it as vivid as I was able to when I recorded it and capture as much as I could."