Clearly at home on stage, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Janelle Monae [ tickets ] is a theatrical performer. In fact, musical theater was her first career goal--as soon as she finished high school in her hometown of Kansas City, KS, Monae headed straight for New York City to study the craft at the American Musical Academy.

After a few off-Broadway stints in 2004, she discovered her true passion was making music and soon moved away from the Big Apple. In her new home of Atlanta, she helped launch the Wondaland Arts Society [W.A.S.] where she met artists such as Big Boi [ tickets ] of OutKast [ tickets ], and by 2007 she was signed to Sean "Diddy" Combs [ tickets ]' Bad Boy Records. Last year, Monae released "Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Special Edition)," which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the single "Many Moons."

Janelle Monae's latest release is the 2009 set “Metropolis Suites II & III” and she's been making the rounds in support of the new material at various stops on the summer festival circuit. LiveDaily photographer Tim Mosenfelder attended her set at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN, in June, and here are some of his best shots.