PRINCE CONFIRMS NEW ALBUM PLANS, ANNOUNCES ‘PURPLE RAIN’ 30TH ANNIVERSARY REISSUE

Prince has been playing gigs with new material and releasing a steady trickle of new songs over the past year — including a duet with Zooey Deschanel stemming from his cameo on New Girl — but he’d been dodgy about what exactly he and his band, 3rdEyeGirl, are up to. But the mystery is over, as Prince today (April 18) confirmed he has a new album in the works.

The news came in a press release announcing the Purple One’s new deal with Warner Bros. Records that will “see the release of long-awaited, previously unheard music” and give him ownership of all his master recordings. “A brand-new studio album is on the way,” he said in a statement. “Both Warner Bros. Records and Eye are quite pleased with the results of the negotiations and look forward to a fruitful working relationship.”

This all comes ahead of this summer’s 30th anniversary of Prince’s seminal album Purple Rain and its accompanying film. That landmark will get its own showcase, via a digitally re-mastered deluxe reissue of the LP which will include previously unheard material.