Janelle Monae Says She's 'In A Very Creative Space' On New Album

In just three short years, Janelle Monáe has risen from Diddy-approved, pompadoured R&B oddity to your favorite artist's favorite artist, tapped to open for the likes of Erykah Badu, Stevie Wonder and, of course, Prince.

She also found herself raking in the critical acclaim for her last album, 2010's otherworldly The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III), so when she mentions working on new music — folks tend to pay attention.

And that's exactly what she did when MTV News caught up with her on the red carpet for Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy bash in Los Angeles. And, from the sound of things, Monáe is looking to push the boundaries even further with her new tunes.

"I'm working on new music now and as soon as the music is done, an album will be submitted, but we're already like, 'Let's go,' " she said. "I'm in a very creative space right now, just came off tour with Amy Winehouse, Prince, Stevie Wonder. ... I'm in a really good, creative space."

Perhaps she'll even unveil some of that new music on her just-announced run of shows with Bruno Mars, the Hooligans in Wondaland Tour. The trek kicks off May 4 in New York and crisscrosses the continent before coming to a close on June 15 in Phoenix. Fans got a sneak peek at what they could expect from the tour when Monáe joined Mars and B.o.B for a cracking medley performance at Sunday's 53rd Grammy Awards.