Prince: A musical icon who redefined art, identity, and sound
With his best-selling songs, singular style, and enigmatic approach to branding — even changing his name to the self-proclaimed love symbol — Prince made a lasting impact, redefining art, identity, and sound over his decades-long domination.
But there’s still a lot about the American artist that you may not know. Read on to follow Prince’s journey, from his humble Midwest beginnings to his powerful reign over music, film, and popular culture.
Early influences and musical beginnings
Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis in 1958 to a jazz singer mother and pianist father. As a child, he was already a promising multi-instrumentalist. True to his roots, Prince taught himself to play piano at just seven years old. By 14, he had added guitar and drums to his repertoire.
Prince’s parents divorced when he was a teenager, briefly leaving him to stay with his neighbors while they sorted out custody. Prince and the neighbor’s son, Andre Anderson (later known as Andre Cymone), founded a covers band called Grand Central.
This childhood collaboration was the unlikely beginning of a history-making career. When Prince and Cymone were discovered by Pepe Willie — Prince’s cousin’s husband — he invited them both to join the funk band 94 East.
Breaking through: Rise to stardom
First major hits
Prince co-wrote “Just Another Sucker” with Willie for 94 East, but the young star already had his sights set on a solo career — and he was well on his way to creating one. At just 18 years old, Prince had already secured a deal with Warner Bros., a business relationship that would end up dominating much of his career.
The Warner deal quickly bore fruit, launching some of Prince’s first hits, like “Soft and Wet” from his 1978 debut album “For You.” “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” from his next album “Prince,” performed even better, reaching number one on the R&B charts and number 11 on the Billboard charts.
But it was the 1980s when Prince would truly break out. Early singles like 1980’s “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” and “Uptown” — the latter of which peaked at number five on both the Billboard Dance and R&B charts — paved the way for later blockbusters such as “Little Red Corvette” and “Delirious.”
Breakthrough albums
Prince was always a prolific artist, writing and recording more songs than his albums could contain. Following his first two albums, he began moving beyond R&B and soul, incorporating rock, pop, and funk elements on 1980’s “Dirty Mind.” His next effort, 1981’s “Controversy,” doubled down on those experiments, but 1982’s “1999” was the album that finally brought Prince’s innovative music to the top of the charts.
Genre-bending music
“1999” was Prince’s first full-throated demonstration of the extensive range of his genre-crossing abilities. The 1982 album successfully married Prince’s experimental funk leanings with more pop-oriented song structures and performance. The result was the artist’s biggest success yet, with singles like “Little Red Corvette” and “1999” receiving significant airplay on MTV.
But all of that would pale in comparison to the heights reached by his next project, 1984’s “Purple Rain,” which included the feature film starring Prince. The soundtrack produced smash hits like “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” and “Darling Nikki,” proving that the artist could achieve superstar status without giving up his innovative approach to music. Prince continued prioritizing innovation over popularity with his next album, 1985’s “Around the World in a Day,” a psychedelic-pop record that failed to replicate the commercial success of the singular “Purple Rain.”
A sound like no other: Prince’s musical innovation
Prince stood out from other artists for his commitment to pushing the boundaries of genre, gender, and artistry as a whole. On his early records, Prince leaned into jazz and more traditional R&B, but he quickly evolved to incorporate elements of rock, funk, and pop. Not only that, but Prince often sang and played every instrument on his songs, giving him full artistic control of his music.
In fact, Prince was such a prolific artist that it became a point of contention with his record label, Warner, which tried to limit the singer to releasing only one album a year. To ensure his extra material would not go to waste, Prince offered his recordings as demos to other artists, such as the group The Time. In this way, the artist ensured that his impact on the music industry went beyond even his own extensive solo catalog.
Fighting for artistic freedom
Battle for music ownership
As the years went on, the Warner deal, first signed when Prince was still a teenager, began to feel like a chain holding back an icon coming into his own. Each year, Prince wrote and recorded more songs than Warner would allow him to release, creating a massive backlog of unreleased material — as well as a growing amount of discontent for the artist.
After 15 years of this, Prince was fed up and ready to take a public stance against his record label. He did so by changing his name to a combination of the female and male symbols in 1993. The unpronounceable name was dubbed “the love symbol” by fans, while media outlets chose to refer to the singer as “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince,” or simply “The Artist.” While the move mystified many at the time, the name change was just one move in a long campaign by Prince to secure the rights to his own artistic output.
Dispute with record labels
Prince spent seven years publicly battling with Warner over his artistic independence. From 1993 to 2000, fans were swamped by competing releases from the artist’s own labels, Paisley Park and later NPG Records, and Warner’s attempts to cash in as much as possible before their deal with Prince expired.
The dispute resulted in a fumbled rollout for Prince’s untitled 1994 album – later nicknamed “The Black Album” – when the artist requested the album be pulled from shelves. Warner managed to get a few more albums out of Prince: 1994’s “Come,” 1995’s “The Gold Experience,” and 1996’s “Chaos and Disorder.” Prince proudly announced his separation from Warner with his 1996 record, fittingly titled “Emancipation.”
Advocacy for artists’ rights
Prince’s efforts to start his own record label and own his music began long before his feud with Warner became public. In 1985, Prince founded Paisley Park Records as a home for the music he produced for other artists like The Time and Vanity 6. He didn’t do much with the label until the following year, when he entered into yet another deal with Warner for 50/50 ownership of the company.
Paisley Park’s first official release was 1985’s “Around the World in a Day,” distributed by Warner. The label was Prince’s first attempt at harnessing control of his music, but it was ultimately foiled by Warner, which shuttered Paisley Park Records in 1994.
By then, Prince had already moved on to his next venture: NPG Records, the truly independent label that Paisley Park could never be. (The name was a nod to his backing band, The New Power Generation.) Unlike Paisley Park, NPG was not tied down to Warner and was free to partner with EMI, Arista, and other distributors to promote and spread its music. That freedom empowered NPG to outlast even its founder: Today the label is still operated by Prince’s estate.
Style, performance, and cultural influence
Bold fashion
Prince’s impact reverberated well beyond the music industry. The singer was also known for his distinct approach to fashion, which incorporated bold makeup, flamboyant frills, and an endless appreciation for the color purple. Prince’s frequent nudity, combined with his suggestive lyrics, also earned him a reputation as a sex symbol.
Challenging societal norms
Even in the 1980s, when American male singers often wore makeup and long hair, Prince stood out for his androgyny and sexuality. As a Black man who was proudly feminine and secure in his heterosexuality, Prince challenged notions of what masculinity — particularly Black masculinity — can look like. Like his music, Prince himself deliberately defied categorization, blending elements of masculinity and femininity in his image and his art.
Prince’s discography: The records that defined an icon
The early years: ‘For You,’ ‘Prince,’ ‘Dirty Mind’ and ‘Controversy’
Prince showed off his exceptional talent from the very beginning. For his debut, Prince sang and played all the instruments himself. Later, “Dirty Mind” and “Controversy” saw Prince expanding into genres such as rock, pop, funk, and rockabilly.
These albums defined Prince’s early years:
- 1978’s “For You”
- 1979’s “Prince”
- 1980’s “Dirty Mind”
- 1981’s “Controversy”
Prince and The Revolution: ‘1999,’ ‘Purple Rain,’ ‘Around the World in a Day’ and ‘Parade’
In 1982, Prince released his first album featuring his iconic backing band The Revolution, titled “1999.” Unlike the teenage artist who had insisted on doing everything on his own, Prince now made every effort to uplift his backing band, including spotlighting them in music videos and taking them on tour. He even showcased them in his blockbuster film “Purple Rain.”
These are the albums that defined Prince’s Revolution era:
- 1982’s “1999”
- 1984’s “Purple Rain”
- 1985’s “Around the World in a Day”
- 1986’s “Parade”
Prince goes to the movies: ‘Sign o’ the Times,’ ‘Lovesexy,’ ‘Batman,’ and ‘Graffiti Bridge’
After 1986’s “Parade,” Prince disbanded The Revolution and released his first solo project in years, “Sign o’ the Times.” It was a critical and commercial success, producing hits like “U Got the Look,” “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man,” and the title track. But rougher waters lay ahead for Prince, with the botched release of “The Black Album,” the commercial failure of “Lovesexy,” and the movie soundtracks for “Batman” and “Graffiti Bridge.”
These albums bridged the gap between Prince’s two best-known backing bands:
- 1987’s “Sign o’ the Times”
- 1988’s “Lovesexy”
- 1989’s “Batman”
- 1990’s “Graffiti Bridge”
Prince and the New Power Generation: ‘Diamonds and Pearls’ and ‘Love Symbol Album’
Most of the members of The New Power Generation were experienced specialists in R&B, soul, and funk. Naturally, these sounds dominated Prince’s next two albums. The collaboration produced plenty of hits, including “Cream,” “Diamonds and Pearls,” and “7.”
These are the albums Prince created alongside The New Power Generation:
- 1991’s “Diamonds and Pearls”
- 1992’s “Love Symbol Album”
Prince vs. Warner Bros.: ‘Come,’ ‘The Black Album,’ ‘The Gold Experience,’ and ‘Chaos and Disorder’
The next era of Prince’s career was dominated by his feud with Warner Bros. The artist changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, rushed out albums filled with old recordings, and did everything he could to bring his commitment to Warner Bros. to a swift end. The resulting albums combined old R&B outtakes from Prince’s earlier years with new songs that were moodier and more minimalist.
These are the albums that defined Prince’s final years with Warner Bros:
- 1994’s “Come”
- 1994’s “The Black Album”
- 1995’s “The Gold Experience”
- 1996’s “Chaos and Disorder”
Prince Emancipated: ‘Emancipation,’ ‘Crystal Ball,’ ‘Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic,’ ‘The Rainbow Children,’ and ‘One Nite Alone’
By 1996, Prince was finally free of his deal with Warner and ready to experiment with new ways of releasing his music. After years of being stymied by the record label, Prince put out multiple compilations of the music Warner had refused to release.
These multi-disc sets characterized this era of Prince’s career:
- 1996’s “Emancipation” in 1996
- 1998’s “Crystal Ball,” a box set that included “The Truth”
- 1999’s “Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic”
- 2001’s “The Rainbow Children”
- 2002’s “One Nite Alone…”
Instrumentals, box sets, and more: ‘Xpectation,’ ‘N·E·W·S,’ ‘Musicology’ and more
Prince spent the latter half of the 2000s indulging in more experimentation, with both his music and his methods of releasing it. He dabbled in instrumental albums, tried distributing records through the mail alongside newspapers, and began putting out music online.
These are the albums that defined Prince’s expansive era:
- 2003’s “Xpectation” and “N·E·W·S”
- 2004’s “Musicology,” “The Chocolate Invasion,” and “The Slaughterhouse”
- 2006’s “3121”
- 2007’s “Planet Earth”
- 2009’s “Lotusflow3r” and “MPLSound”
The Final Albums: ‘20Ten,’ ‘Plectrumelectrum,’ ‘Art Official Age,’ and ‘HITnRUN’
Before his untimely death, Prince managed to make amends with his decades-long antagonist. Starting with the release of “Art Official Age,” the artist reunited with Warner, regaining the company’s backing and control of his masters at the same time. Unlike the first time, this deal was not exclusive, leaving Prince open to partner with Universal to release his final albums.
These were the last Prince records released in the artist’s lifetime:
- 2010’s “20Ten” in 2010
- 2014’s “Plectrumelectrum” and “Art Official Age”
- 2015’s “HITnRUN Phase One” and “HITnRUN Phase Two”
Prince’s everlasting legacy
In April 2016, 57-year-old Prince Rogers Nelson was found dead in his home from an apparent overdose. Since his death, Prince’s legacy has been honored with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and his estate is reportedly working on a Prince documentary, formerly planned to be released on Netflix.
But even the tragic loss of this iconic artist has not put an end to the movements he created in life. His NPG record label lives on, as does his enduring influence on music, film, and fashion.
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