The artist Prince always looked up to: “His connection to the spirit”
Prince‘s music was so mercurial that he could label anyone as an influence, and it would somehow track. From out right rock and roll, to funk and soul, Prince’s music was a kaleidoscope of sounds that showcased his unrivalled levels of musicality.
It’s ultimately the reason why, when it comes to the conversation of influence, many contemporary artists are quick to label him as their own north star. But often, whenever they do, his name is standing alongside another icon of music who, like Prince, could quite simply put his hand to any genre and still be the most innovative person in the room.
Unsurprisingly, the artist whom Prince was willing to name more than any other artist, and thus debunking this idea that he was on a frequency of his own, was Stevie Wonder. Wonder showed him the way of multi-instrumentalist songwriting, which fused genres to ultimately push boundaries within soul, funk, and pop.
Plainly, Prince explained, “I used Stevie Wonder as an inspiration, whom I look up to a great deal, just for the way that he crafted music and his connection to the spirit.” He added, “And boy, back then I used him as a role model in trying to play all the instruments and be very self-contained and keep my vision clear.”
It ultimately worked for Prince, who took Wonder’s model and carved a niche of his own that resulted in seminal records. Later, that admiration developed into collaboration, playing guitar on Wonder’s 2005 song ‘So What The Fuss’, which was his first single release in five years at the time.
Soon after that session in the studio, Prince was given the ultimate opportunity, sharing the stage with Wonder on a regular basis to perform triumphant renditions of his iconic track ‘Superstition’. Together, the pair developed somewhat of a friendship, and the man who inspired Prince to become the musician he was was no longer a distant figure, but instead a mentor.
His appreciation for Wonder was wholly reciprocated. In fact, Wonder viewed Prince with arguably even more reverence, expressing his admiration for his work in a colourful and heartfelt way, explaining, “He was a great musician. He loved music. He loved playing his instrument. And, you know, the times that we did jam together were amazing with all the various people he would bring together. And most of all, he brought all the various cultures together.”
He added, “He could play classical music if he wanted to. He could play jazz if he wanted to. He could play country if he wanted to. He played rock, you know, he played blues. He played pop, he played everything. He was just a great musician and very cognizant of what his responsibility was as a musician and a human being.”
Together, they represented two pillars of contemporary music and all the genres that existed around it. In the video below, you can see how their creativity was completely in sync with one another, and it only proves how sad it was that we weren’t treated to more from the pair.
