Rock and roll hall of famer Prince is gearing up for the future.
“I don’t have time for old people,” he told the Star Tribune. “I want to work with young people.”
The purple fame singer, who turns 55 in June, is recruiting young musicians for his new backing band, 3rdEyeGirl, who consists of drummer Hannah Ford Welton from Louisville, guitarist Donna Grantis from Toronto, and bassist Ida Nielsen from Denmark and Prince wants the world to hear them.
“I have my legacy. It’s time for their legacy. They’re a Minneapolis band too,” he said.
Prince has recorded enough material with 3rdEyeGirl to put together an album later this year via Kobalt Music Group. Grantis wrote one of the new songs, “Plectum Electrum” and was rearranged by Prince. Three singles have been released via 3rdeyegirl.com that includes “Screwdriver,” which was performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live”
Prince is touring and will play a hometown show at the Myth in Maplewood, MN. on May 25 charging $259 to see him. He is making more money than before because he travels with a smaller entourage and less elaborate production.
“I’m paying my band more than I’ve every paid,” he said.
NME reports Prince used proceeds from one of his shows to fund a high school jazz band’s trip to New York for a competition. The donation was to the American Music Program Pacific Crest Jazz Orchestra.
Jazz trumpeter and Artistic Director of the program Thara Memory said to NME, “the promoter is a longtime friend of mine and he told Prince about the program. Prince was looking for something to give some money to anyway, and that’s how it came about.”
Price played a video for his next single “Fix Ur Life Up” at a party in Denver. He told his manager, a college student at the time they met in 2011 to play the video for everyone. Everyone reacted enthusiastically to the video.
“They are like my kids. And I’m learning from the. Yong people have the new ideas,” he said.