One of the factors that made Prince’s sudden and unexpected death in 2016 all the more tragic was how prolific he’d been in the years just preceding it. Prince had released four albums in just two years been working with his band 3rdeyegirl, and as it turns out, still found time to help Janelle Monaé assemble her upcoming album Dirty Computer.
In a new interview with BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac, Monaé revealed that Prince was helping her complete her vision before he sadly passed away in his home Paisley Park on April 21, 2016. “Prince actually was working on the album with me before he passed on to another frequency, and helped me come up with sounds,” she said. “I really miss him, you know, it’s hard for me to talk about him. But I do miss him, and his spirit will never leave me.”
As fans of Monaé are already aware, Prince had a profound impact on her as an artist. As she told the Guardian in a separate interview, ““I wouldn’t be as comfortable with who I am if it had not been for Prince. I mean, my label Wondaland would not exist without Paisley Park coming before us.” She also talked about the last time she saw him. “The last time I saw him was New Year’s Day. I performed a private party in St Bart’s with him, and after we sat and just talked for five hours. He was one of the people I would talk to about things, him and Stevie Wonder.”
Check out Monaé’s latest single “Make Me Feel” below and see if you can’t detect Prince’s sonic influence.
