Last Thursday, Janelle Monae held a special album launch party at the Delano Hotel in Miami on May 13 to celebrate the release of her incredible debut LP, The ArchAndroid.

Since I’m of the Northeastern persuasion, I wasn’t able to attend. However, one of my good friends and loyal Muusers, Jonny (of LoveJonny.com), was able to attend the show in my stead. Aww!

Click above to see the full recap from the night’s events, and click here to preview and purchase the album from iTunes.

Thank you so much, Jonny! Xoxo.

WARNING: AMAZING NEWS AHEAD.

Robyn and Kelis are going on tour together this summer.

While tweeting back and forth about wanting to tour together (brilliant way to create buzz!), the two jointly announced the All Hearts Tour.

There was also talk of the use of strobes, lasers, and confetti.

To properly celebrate, an appropriate OMG-tastic .gif:

Hot off the premiere of the behind-the-scenes clip from yesterday, the official music video for Robyn‘s new single, “Dancing On My Own.”

The video is not plot heavy, nor especially driven by special effects…it’s just plain gorgeous. Unbelievably stunning. It’s basically the epitome of what the song is all about: sad disco, flashing lights, and kissing in the dark.

This is easily of my favorite clips of the year thus far.

(And is this a slightly shinier single mix of the original album version? I don’t think it’s an actual remix…)

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Check out this brilliant behind-the-scenes clip of Robyn‘s upcoming video for “Dancing On My Own,” which will be released tomorrow (Friday, May 21).

Not only is she looking gorgeous (very “Papa Don’t Preach” Madonna), but she’s pulling some killer moves to boot.

My expectations are multiplying by the minute!

In December of 2008, 19-year-old singer Diana Vickers was prematurely eliminated from the fifth season of the UK’s X Factor.

Within months after her departure however, the young singer was already creating a healthy amount of buzz around her debut–enough to nearly overshadow that of her former competitor’s efforts, Alexandra Burke and JLS.

The buzz was due to an ever-expanding rumor list of drool-worthy collaborators and musical legends, including Guy Sigsworth, Starsmith, Chris Braide, and Cathy Dennis. As the news trickled down, the promise of these recording sessions grew greater, as fans waited to hear what the quirky singer was quietly cooking up in the studio.

Then came the release of the singer’s debut single, “Once,” an instantly catchy, thrilling rush of explosive choruses and big bass beats. The single proved that Vickers’ odd, hushed delivery and near-broken vocals lent themselves perfectly to pop, causing the song to rocket to the #1 spot on the UK Singles Chart in late April of 2010. Her debut album soon followed on May 3, which also hit the #1 spot on the UK Album Chart the following week.

Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree is incredibly solid electro-pop package, colored by an unconventionally raspy voice and a youthful spirit. Neither dance music nor torch song balladry, Vickers’ album is a refreshing blend of bright electronic hooks and classic crooning, refusing to be characterized in either direction.

With glittering, multi-layered electronica-inspired songs like “You’ll Never Get To Heaven,” “My Hip,” and “Remake Me & You,” Vickers follows in line with such artists as Ellie Goulding and Imogen Heap) in forging the somewhat newly founded genre of indie electro pop. The songs, which feature extensive production and wild, whizzing noises, mesh together to create a whimsical soundscape complimented by cheerful crooning and dizzying melodies.

“The Boy Who Murdered Love,” set to be the next single released from the album, is among one of the most immediate standouts on the record. In the song, Vickers recounts a love gone sour with the most biting of lyricism and pained delivery: “You’re the boy who murdered love,” she begins, “cold hands and a heart of stone. You’re a Midas in reverse, you’re the king of pain and hurt.” Everything about the song burns with broken-hearted anguish, resulting in one of the most delicious of the electro-pop confections on the record.

“My Hip,” which features Vickers herself taking a turn on the trumpet, is another highlight. Taking a break from the lush, ethereal electronic sounds for a brief foray through frantic, skipping beats and trumpet flares, the singer charms her way through a gleeful crush. It’s both adorable and addictive.

Vickers’ only cover on the album is also a delightful surprise for music fans, The Sugarcubes‘ song, “Hit.” Vickers’ version blends in effortlessly with the rest of the record, replacing the groovier original beats with bright, poppy synthesizers and swirling electronic beats. As it (unsurprisingly) turns out, the singer’s voice takes well to Björk‘s throaty yelps, making it sound more like an original selection than a mere karaoke attempt.

The ballads, however, are a bit more temperamental than the uptempo offerings. “Four Leaf Clover,” for instance, is an overly soggy misstep that, aside from the song’s lonesome verses, never fully redeems itself from a rather cliched chorus. The same applies to “Me & You.”

It is only with “N.U.M.B.” and “Notice,” two incredibly sophisticated slices of adult pop, that Vickers truly raises the bar for the rest of the album and firmly establishes herself as more than just a pretty voice. The proof comes three and a half minutes into “N.U.M.B.”, as Vickers tackles the final repetition of the chorus expert delivery, emitting a soaring, heartbreaking final note that comes crashing down. Chills.

Vickers’ debut is far more exciting and listenable than most of what’s come out of the X Factor/Simon Cowell hit machine as of late. Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree is a highly listenable, engaging album of lush electronica that proves why Vickers is much, much more than simply a finalist on some reality show.

See above to check out the new preview clip for Rihanna‘s upcoming video for her latest single, “Rockstar 101.”

Sure, the song may not even make a dent in the Hot 100, but I’ll be damned if she doesn’t look flawless.

But really, who opted for this as a single over “Fire Bomb”? Or “Te Amo”? I mean, hello?! (Yes, I know it’s being internationally, but why not here?)

Oh well. I’m always up for some amazing imagery.

On a side note: European Riri fans, have you seen the Photographs contest yet? Check it out now!

I first heard of Joseph Birdsong about a year or so ago after happening upon his YouTube video about bruised fruit.

I found Birdsong to be both cute and quirky. He seemed to ‘get’ my sense of humor and/or similar neuroses, and so I began following him on and off throughout the past few months while he slowly gained momentum on the interwebs. (He’s now an active member of the YouTube channel, 5 Awesome Gays). We e-gays have to stick together, amirite?

A few months ago, Birdsong announced to his viewers that he would be releasing music. Starting out with the song “Modern Science,” Birdsong began to embark on a goal: The release of one new song every month for an entire year on iTunes.

What’s resulted from these sessions is a kind of textbook example of modern D-I-Y pop, featuring hand-layered vocal tracks recorded in his kitchen and piano melodies translated into Logic Pro.

Birdsong’s tracks are cute, nerdy lo-fi ventures into the same intergalactic terrain as acts like Little Boots and Ellie Goulding, though knowingly humble and cheeky at the same time. With his songs, Birdsong makes no pretense about his vocal abilities, instead using the production to carve himself an interesting, unique musical niche that I’ve come to appreciate and enjoy.

In a few weeks, he’ll be unveiling his new single for June, “I’m Ready.” While his fans wait for its release, Joseph was kind enough to send over an excluusive preview of the track for streaming here at MuuMuse, which you can now hear below:

And there you have it.

To preview and purchase any of Joseph’s music, click here.

It’s official: Lady Gaga is going to die on stage.

The singer has just announced a string of concerts in 2011 for her seemingly endless Monster Ball Tour Starring Lady Gaga, thus all but confirming my suspicions of her on-stage death wish.

I’m not trying to be rude. In fact, I’m being quite honest…she’s literally going to work herself until she can perform no more! Take a rest, for Alejandro’s sake.

Nonetheless, here are the dates:

2/19 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall
2/21 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
2/26 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center
3/3 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
3/8 Boston, MA TD Garden
3/10 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
3/15 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
3/19 Salt Lake City, UT Energy Solutions Arena
3/25 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand
4/8 Houston, TX Toyota Center
4/9 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena
4/12 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Bank Atlantic Center
4/13 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena
4/18 Atlanta, GA Gwinnett Center

Meanwhile, the “Alejandro” Remix EP is now out on iTunes. Look out for the Sound of Arrows mix, as well as the Bimbo Jones and Kleerup takes on the track. (Basically, let’s hurry up with it and get onto “Monster,” yes?)

To preview and purchase the EP, click here.