Janelle Monáe Honors Karl Lagerfeld with a Skin-Baring Transformation at Met Gala 2023, Calls It 'Full Circle'

Two days before the 2023 Met Gala, Janelle Monáe told PEOPLE that her look would be "an experience." Now fast forward to May 1, and an experience it was!

Remember Lady Gaga's metamorphosis during "Camp: Notes on Fashion?" Well on Monday night Monáe, 37, put on a show that was similar to that memorable production. In comparison to Gaga's four-look transformation, Monáe had two.

Paying tribute to the theme, "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," those two looks had underlying meanings that were nostalgic for the multi-talent, who wore Chanel to her first Met Gala in 2011 with the late creative director of the luxury brand.

In fact, that year was her most memorable. "I went with Karl, so this is sort of full circle for us to be honoring him. I'm really excited about what we'll do," the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery actress told PEOPLE at a pre-Met event on Saturday.

Monaé arrived on the red carpet in a large, black-and-white tweed Thom Browne tuxedo suit with mismatched patterns and ornate embellishments. She accessorized with a white leather quilted cat bag, an homage to Lagerfeld's feline muse Choupette.

She was accompanied by two men in suits who stripped her from her oversized outwear, unraveling the singer to reveal a sheer black tulle pannier dress with black and white eyelash boned tipping, that displayed a black sequin bikini beneath. Monaé lifted up the frame and posed confidently on the steps as she walked up in her white astronaut boots. She accessorized her over-the-top look with REZA jewels.

Ahead of her appearance Monday night, the singer, actress and seasoned Met Gala attendee spoke with PEOPLE about her ensemble.

"It's such a surprise. I have an experience that I've put together," she teased. "You have to watch. Watch that red carpet because you don't want to miss a beat."

Despite the high-profile energy surrounding the event, which brings a slew of A-list celebrities to New York City every first Monday in May, Monáe told PEOPLE that her spirits are always high — and she loves to sit next to other guests who feel the same way.

Be sure to check out all of PEOPLE's Met Gala coverage to get the latest news on fashion's biggest night.

"It's supposed to be fun. It's supposed not to be serious. So I always enjoy people who are not stressed out over the Met Gala because I'm not," she shared.

It's no surprise that Monáe did so in the most avant-garde of ways, as she's known to dial up her style each and every time.

Last year, she walked the famous steps in a future-meets-Old-Hollywood look featuring a glittering headpiece, courtesy of Ralph Lauren, and elegant jewels, made by Nikos Koulis and Delfina Delettrez.

In 2019, she stepped out in one of her most colorful looks in celebration of that year's "Camp: Notes on Fashion" theme.

All eyes were on Monáe, who wore a Dali and Picasso-inspired Christian Siriano outfit with one blinking crystal eye on the bodice (supplied by Smooth Technology), plus Hanut Singh jewels, a Judith Leiber clutch and a stack of Sarah Sokol Millinery hats, which stylist Alexandra Mandelkorn explained were "four different custom hats that were then perfectly stacked to balance and hand sewn together."