I Learned Many Lessons From Life: 2000

Prince finds peace – the Artist reflects on God, genius, and the joy fantastic!

nterview by José Luis Corral, January 1, 2000.

Finally at peace with himself, the purple dwarf from Minneapolis returns in great shape with Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. A record performed by The Artist, but produced by Prince... Or when schizophrenia rhymes with genius.

The Artist, Prince: "I learned many lessons from life and all of them sent me back to God"

Finally at peace with himself, the purple dwarf from Minneapolis returns in great shape with Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. A record performed by The Artist, but produced by Prince... Or when schizophrenia rhymes with genius.

The Artist spent several days in Madrid. It was only at the end of his stay that he agreed to meet me. The (little) Prince we have in front of us is much less exuberant than the one we can see on stage. And yet, when he starts talking about God, love, happiness and especially when he talks about doubles, we say to ourselves that "The Artist" is still capable of astonishing... and to release great records.

José Luis Corral: What made you decide to sign again with a record company, you who wanted to remain independent?

Prince: The particularity of the agreement I made with Clive Davis [President of Arista records, editor's note] allows me to still feel totally independent. Clive Davis and I really understood each other very well, a handshake was enough to seal our agreement.

Does being associated with a record label limit creativity?

No, not when you are powerful and productive enough to impose your own views. Let's take an apple that represents creation and an apple stall where creation is sold. The owners of the stall say that without them, we could not sell apples.

So what?

Well, I tell them: "OK, but who tells you that I don't want to deliver my creations to someone who sells bananas?" The day when the musicians of the planet think like this, I think we will witness a real revolution in this field...

How and do you feel now?

For years, I felt like a slave to the record industry. Today, I am finally free. I think I'm happier, fitter and more toned than ever

Why is your album performed by The Artist but produced by Prince?

When I'm The Artist, I have a hard time channeling myself. I'd rather Prince go to the coals! That's why I left it to him to watch over the production. Only he could breathe the spirit of the 80s into it.

Prince and The Artist got along well?

Yes! The result is very satisfying to me: there is in this album everything that Prince's fans want to find in it, in addition to the new trends of The Artist. I think it's a record that is resolutely against the grain, the opposite of the violence and selfishness that dominate today's music.

What is new, precisely, in this record?

The energy of life and the expression of pure happiness! Through a mix of pop, funk and rock, I wanted to express a wide variety of emotions. The goal with this record was to create a universe in which only the joy and love of God exist.

You have your own website. What do you think about the Internet?

The Internet is just a tool. I use the computer, it's not the computer that uses me. It's like a bus that takes us from one place to another in the blink of an eye! The Internet is a good way to communicate with the people you love.

Have you become a kind of sage?

I learned many lessons from life and all of them sent me back to God. Music allows me to express what I have in my heart and in my love. For we are nothing without our soul.