Janelle Monáe Begins Work on "Jamming" New Album

BY Alex HudsonPublished Jun 16, 2011

Last year, buzz-worthy R&B singer Janelle Monáe blew us away with her stunning The ArchAndroid, which topped our list of the Best Soul and R&B Albums of 2011. Naturally, we're excited to report that she's begun work on the follow-up.

Believe it or not, the forthcoming LP may be even more grandiose than The ArchAndroid. She told MTV, "This album will have very strong concepts and bigger ideas and the music will just go forward to another level. It will still be, I believe, relatable to the people. We have a really big ideas, I must say, and we're just trying to make sure we execute them properly."

Although Monáe's busy touring schedule has slowed her headway, she's nevertheless found time to begin "recording, writing, playing instruments." She's not yet sure if the new album will be set in the same sci-fi world as The ArchAndroid, but she did confirm, "The concepts will be very strong."

She continued, "I don't plan on stopping the formula or stopping myself from creating new formulas. My message is that I want to reach the people -- the people who work each and every day. I want to create music that will be their choice of drug whenever they feel oppressed or depressed. [I want to] create something that will remain timeless, hopefully, and the next generation can be inspired by it. And creating a blueprint -- one where people can understand that you don't have to take the same coordinates to get to the same destination. But it will be jamming. I will say that much. It's gonna be jamming."

So when will we hear this "jamming" new album? Monáe explained it like this: "When the frog leaps on me and I rise and take a shower, and the rain drips down on my back. I pick it up and a message appears: 'It's time. It's time, child. Move forward.'" Uh, we're not sure what that means, but we're excited anyway.

When the new LP arrives, it will likely come via Monáe's Wondaland Arts Society label and Bad Boy/Atlantic Records.

Latest Coverage