Prince is an iconic American singer. To date, over a hundred million copies of his albums have been sold worldwide. Prince's musical compositions combined different musical genres: R&B, funk, soul, rock, pop, psychedelic rock and new wave.
In the early 1990s, the American singer, along with Madonna and Michael Jackson, was considered the leader of world pop music. The American artist has a number of prestigious music awards to his credit.
The singer could play almost all musical instruments. In addition, he was known for his wide vocal range and unique style of presentation of musical compositions. The appearance of Prince on stage was accompanied by a standing ovation. The man did not ignore makeup and catchy outfits.
The childhood and youth of the singer
The artist's full name is Prince Rogers Nelson. The boy was born on June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis (Minnesota). The guy was brought up in a primordially creative and intelligent family.
Prince's father, John Lewis Nelson, was a pianist, and his mother, Matty Della Shaw, is a famous jazz singer. From early childhood, Prince, along with his sister, learned the basics of playing the piano. The boy wrote and played his first Funk Machine melody at the age of 7.
Soon, Prince's parents divorced. After the divorce, the boy lived in two families. A little later, he settled in the family of his best friend Andre Simone (Andre in the future is a bassist).
As a teenager, Prince earned money by playing musical instruments. He played guitar, piano and drums. The guy performed in bars, cafes and restaurants.
In addition to hobbies for music, during his school years, Prince played sports. Despite his short stature, the young man was on the basketball team. Prince even played for one of the best high school teams in Minnesota.
In high school, the gifted musician formed the band Grand Central with his best friend. But that wasn't Prince's only accomplishment. Knowing how to play various instruments and sing, the guy began to take part in the performances of various bands in bars and clubs. Soon he became a student of the Dance Theater as part of the Urban Art program.
Prince's creative path
Prince became a professional musician at the age of 19. Thanks to his participation in the 94 East group, the young performer became popular. A year after participating in the group, the singer presented his solo debut album, which was called For You.
The guy was engaged in arranging, writing and performing tracks on his own. It is important to note the sound of the musician's debut tracks. Prince managed to make a real revolution in rhythm and blues. He replaced classic brass samples with original synth sections. In the late 1970s, thanks to an American singer, styles such as soul and funk were combined.
Soon the artist's discography was replenished with a second studio album. We are talking about a collection with a "modest" name Prince. By the way, this record included the singer's immortal hit - the track I Wanna Be Your Lover.
The peak of the artist's popularity
A stunning success awaited the American artist after the release of the third album. The record was called Dirty Mind. The tracks of the collection shocked music lovers with their revelation. No less than his tracks, Prince's image was also surprising. The artist went on stage in high stiletto boots, a bikini and a military cap.
In the early 1980s, the performer recorded a dystopian record with a very symbolic title "1999". The album allowed the world community to name the singer the second pop musician in the world after Michael Jackson. Several tracks of the compilation and Little Red Corvette topped the list of famous hits of all time.
The fourth album repeated the success of previous records. The collection was called Purple Rain. This album topped the main US music chart Billboard for about 24 weeks. Two tracks When Doves Cry and Let's Go Craz competed for the right to be considered the best.
In the mid-1980s, Prince was not interested in making money. He completely immersed himself in art and was not afraid to conduct musical experiments. The singer created the psychedelic Batdance theme for the hit movie Batman.
Some time later, Prince presented the album Sign o' the Times and the first collection of his tracks, on which Rosie Gaines, not he, sings. In addition, the American artist recorded several duet songs. A bright joint song can be called Love Song (with the participation of Madonna).
Change of creative nickname
1993 was a year of experimentation. Prince shocked the audience. The artist decided to change his creative pseudonym, under which millions of music lovers know him. Prince changed his pseudonym to a badge, which was a combination of masculine and feminine.
Changing a creative pseudonym is not a whim of an artist. The fact is that the change of name was followed by internal changes in Prince. If earlier the singer behaved boldly on stage, sometimes vulgarly, now he has become lyrical and meek.
The name change was followed by the release of several albums. They sounded different. The hit of that time was the musical composition Gold.
In the early 2000s, the artist returned to his original pseudonym. The record Musicology, which was released in the early 2000s, returned the singer to the top of the musical Olympus.
The next compilation with the original title "3121" is notable for the fact that free invitation tickets to the concert of the upcoming world tour were hidden in some boxes.
Prince borrowed the idea of free tickets from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In the last years of his career, the singer released several albums a year. In 2014, the compilations Plectrumelectrum and Art Official Age were released, and in 2015, two parts of the HITnRUN disc. The HITnRUN compilation turned out to be Prince's last work.
Personal life of the singer
Prince's personal life was bright and eventful. A well-groomed man was credited with novels with prestigious show business stars. In particular, Prince had relationships with Madonna, Kim Basinger, Carmen Electra, Susan Munsi, Anna Fantastic, Susanna Hofs.
Suzanne almost brought Prince to the registry office. The couple announced their imminent engagement. However, a few months before the official marriage, young people said that they had separated. But Prince did not walk in the status of a bachelor for very long.
The star got married at 37. His chosen one was the backing vocalist and dancer Maita Garcia. The couple signed on one of the most significant days - February 14, 1996.
Soon their family grew by one more. The couple had a common son, Gregory. A week later, the newborn died. For some time, the couple supported each other morally. But their family was not so strong. The couple broke up.
In the early 2000s, it became known that Prince remarried to Manuel Testolini. The relationship lasted 5 years. The woman went to the singer Eric Benet.
Journalists said that Manuela left Prince because he fell under the influence of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization. The artist was so imbued with faith that he not only attended general meetings every week, but also went to the homes of strangers to discuss issues of the Christian faith.
He has been dating Bria Valente since 2007. It was a controversial relationship. Envious people said that the woman uses the singer to enrich herself. Prince was like a "blind kitten". He never spared money for his beloved.
Interesting facts about Prince
- The height of the American performer was only 157 cm. However, this did not prevent Prince from becoming a famous musician. He was included in the list of 100 best guitarists in the world according to Rolling Stone magazine.
- In the early 2000s, Prince, who had previously studied the Bible with his musician friend Larry Graham, joined Jehovah's Witnesses.
- At the beginning of his musical activity, the artist had little financial resources. Sometimes a man had no money to buy food, and he wandered around McDonald's to enjoy the aromas of fast food.
- Prince didn't like it when his tracks were covered. He spoke negatively about the singers, focusing on the fact that he could not be covered.
- The American artist had many creative pseudonyms and nicknames. His childhood nickname was the name Skipper, and later he called himself The Kid, Alexander Nevermind, The Purple Purv.
Death of Prince Rogers Nelson
On April 15, 2016, the singer flew by plane. The man became ill and needed emergency medical care. The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing.
Upon the arrival of the ambulance, medical workers discovered a complex form of the influenza virus in the performer's body. They began immediate treatment. Due to illness, the artist canceled a number of concerts.
Treatment and support of Prince's body did not give a positive result. On April 21, 2016, the idol of millions of music lovers died. The star's body was found at the musician's Paisley Park estate.
