Kansas City native Janelle Monáe originally planned to pursue a career on Broadway but instead began focusing on music. By 2003, she had moved to Atlanta and recorded a self-released album, The Audition, which introduced the whole Metropolis/Cindi Mayweather concept.

Four years later, Sean “Diddy” Combs signed the singer/songwriter to his Bad Boy label, offering an official release for her Suite I of IV: The Chase EP which earned Janelle a Grammy nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for her single “Many Moons”.

Janelle disclosed last year of the deal with Diddy (which he considers one of the most important signings of his career) that it’s not the traditional label-artist kind; it’s more of a partnership. And it seems to be a fruitful one with the release of her first full-length album, The ArchAndroid (pronounced Ark Android), hitting stores today.

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