Although Prince didn’t discover Monae, he certainly gave his stamp of approval to the electric lady. The pair collaborated on the single “Givin’ ‘Em What They Love” from Monae’s Electric Lady album. Monae once said in an interview that Prince is a mentor to her and that it’s been an honor to not only tour with him but to collaborate musically.
When Prince performs in your home, you know you’ve made it. This was the case for La Havas back in 2014 when Prince played a gig in her living room as a part of a stint in London. But it was after seeing a live stream of one of Lianne’s shows that Prince first reached out. They quickly became friends.
Legendary percussionist Sheila Escovedo, better known as Sheila E. was the reason every girl wanted to play the drums. She was discovered by Prince while performing with her father’s band in 1978. They joined forces for the Purple Rain recording sessions where she provided vocals for hits like “Lets Go Crazy.” She went on to have a successful career of her own and still performs today.
It all started on Twitter. After releasing an acapella track named “Hollow,” Eryn got wind of the fact that Prince retweeted the song. Another song endorsement and two years later Prince got in contact again, and Eryn ended up performing with the legendary singer during a peace rally in Baltimore. Eryn said that Prince’s biggest push was for her to remain authentic.
Judith Hill is a powerhouse in her own right, and Prince wasn’t the only one that thinks so. She’s worked with Michael Jackson, John Legend and had four judges to fight over her during her appearance on The Voice. Most recently, she worked closely with Prince on her debut album, Back in Time.
If you saw Purple Rain, you remember Apollonia. She was the apple of Prince’s eye and the front woman of Apollonia 6. Most recently she recorded a cover of “When Doves Cry’ for Spin magazine’s 25 anniversay tribute to Purple Rain.
After being discovered in 1990 through a video that her mother submitted, Mayte went on to dance during Prince’s Diamonds and Pearls tour, record music and direct music videos with him. Prince’s 1994 hit The Most Beautiful Girl in The World was written for her. The pair were married on Valentines Day in 1996 but divorced by 2000.
Although the Houston-native began her career with Destiny’s Child when they were still known as Girl’s Tyme, Tamar gained notoriety after co-leading the vocals on Prince’s Grammy-nominated song “Beautiful, Loved and Blessed” in 2006.
Who can forget Vanity 6’s hit single “Nasty Girl?” The trio that Prince formed in the early ’80s was behind the hit and his vision of a risque, boundary-pushing girl group.
