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New Power Generation | |
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Origin | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
Genres | |
Years active | 1990–2013, 2015, 2017 |
Members | Morris Hayes Tommy Barbarella Damon Dickson Levi Seacer, Jr. Tony M. Michael Bland Kirk Johnson Sonny T. Andy Allo |
Past members | Chance Howard Liv Warfield Josh Dunham John Blackwell Cora Coleman Dunham Rosie Gaines Elisa Fiorillo Mayte Garcia Rhonda Smith Kat Dyson Mike Scott Renato Neto Frederic Yonnet Shelby J. Ida Nielsen Donna Grantis Cassandra O'Neal Prince Andrew Gouche |
The New Power Generation, also known as the NPG, was the backing band of musician Prince from 1990 to 2013. They were replaced by 3rdeyegirl as his backing band in 2013. In 2015, the New Power Generation reunited as Prince's backing band for his final studio album before his death, Hit n Run Phase Two . They reunited once again in 2017 for a US and European tour.
The phrase "Welcome to the New Power Generation" was mentioned on the opening track of 1988's Lovesexy . New Power Generation was used for the first time as a band name in the 1990 film Graffiti Bridge , and a song entitled "New Power Generation" appeared on the accompanying soundtrack album. [1]
The New Power Generation debuted live during the Nude Tour in 1990 and on record on the 1991 album Diamonds and Pearls . The band consisted of holdovers from the Nude Tour: Michael Bland (drums), Levi Seacer, Jr. (guitar), Rosie Gaines (keyboards and backing vocals), Tony M. (lead raps and dancing), Kirk Johnson (percussion and dancing), and Damon Dickson (dancing), along with two new members Tommy Barbarella (keyboards) and Sonny T. (bass). Rosie Gaines left the band after the Diamonds and Pearls Tour and was replaced by keyboardist Morris Hayes.
When Prince began his formal dispute with Warner Bros. and changed his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993, the NPG became a side-project for Prince, allowing him to release music outside of his contract.
The NPG's debut album, Goldnigga , featured Tony M. as lead vocalist/rapper. [1] The album relied heavily on rap, while the music itself was reminiscent of the 1970s funk. Prince participated heavily in writing and performing the music, while Tony wrote and performed raps. Prince provided co-lead vocals on two songs, "Black M.F. in the House" and "Johnny", and the two were often performed by him in his own concerts and after shows.
A reduced NPG returned to the Prince fold when he began performing under the symbolic moniker in early 1994, backing him on The Gold Experience . The rappers and dancers were let go, and Levi Seacer left the band as well. Given an expanded role in the band was dancer Mayte Garcia who provided backing and Spanish vocals. This incarnation released Exodus in 1995. Prince again took a role behind the scenes, adopting the guise of the masked "Tora Tora" and performing lead vocals on several tracks, sometimes with an altered voice. His participation in this version of the NPG was much more apparent. Although several raps were recorded for the album, they were left out of the final release, and the focus was more on funk.
In 1996, longstanding members Michael Bland, Tommy Barbarella, and Sonny T. were fired and a new band was formed for touring. Guitarists Kat Dyson and Mike Scott, along with bassist Rhonda Smith joined Morris Hayes and Kirk Johnson, who re-joined the band to play drums.
In 1998, another NPG album was released titled Newpower Soul (modifying a song title from Exodus). In fact, a spoken outtake from Exodus mentions the upcoming album, indicating its planning stages. Prince features prominently on the cover and liner notes and provides lead vocals on all songs. Unlike the two previous releases, the album relies heavily on drum programming by Kirk Johnson and features input from Larry Graham and Doug E. Fresh.
A fourth album, Peace, due to be released in 2001, never materialized and although a few songs have been made public through limited-release singles at concerts ("Peace" / "2045: Radical Man" and "The Daisy Chain" / "Gamillah") and through Prince's former official website, NPG Music Club. The songs were later included on the Prince albums The Slaughterhouse and The Chocolate Invasion .
The band since has been a "revolving door" of musicians, who usually stay for a couple years before being replaced. It is often nebulous as to who is actually an 'official' member.
In 2010, three former members of the original New Power Generation, drummer Michael Bland, keyboardist Tommy Barbarella and bass player Sonny T., became members of Nick Jonas and the Administration (a side project of Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers). [2]
In 2013, NPG singer Elisa Fiorillo (Dease) formed a duo with Nashville-based guitarist Tyler Reese, called the Dease & Reese Project, and in 2014 released the album Life in 20 (REMU Records). Fiorillo continued to perform with Prince.
The NPG collaborated with Prince once more in 2015 on what would be his last studio album, Hit n Run Phase Two .
After Prince's untimely death in 2016, the band reunited in 2017 and 2019 for a US and European Prince tribute tour. [3] [4]
This is the discography of the New Power Generation, credited as a separate entity from Prince.
Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US [5] | UK [6] [7] | |||
1991 | Diamonds and Pearls | 3 | 2 | |
1992 | Love Symbol Album | 5 | 1 | |
2002 | One Nite Alone... Live! | — | — | |
2003 | C-Note | — | — | |
2007 | Planet Earth | 3 | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Additional information | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US [5] | UK [6] [7] | |||
1993 | Gold Nigga | — | — | Tony M. performs lead vocals. |
1995 | Exodus | — | 11 | Sonny T. performs lead vocals. |
1998 | Newpower Soul | 22 | 38 | Prince performs lead vocals. Prince's symbol (stylized) and portrait is on the front cover. |
Band Members:
Year | Album details |
---|---|
1997 | Kamasutra
|
Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Additional information | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US [5] | UK [6] [7] | |||
1990 | Graffiti Bridge | 6 | 1 | Unnamed New Power Generation members provided backing vocals on the song "New Power Generation". |
1994 | Blankman | — | — | Includes "Super Hero", credited to the New Power Generation and the Steeles. |
1995 | The Gold Experience | — | — | Produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince with the New Power Generation. |
1996 | Girl 6 | 75 | — | Includes "Count the Days", from Exodus and title track is credited to the New Power Generation, with Prince on lead vox. |
2004 | The Chocolate Invasion | — | — | The New Power Generation is credited for the track "Gamillah". |
The Slaughterhouse | — | — | The New Power Generation is credited for the tracks "Peace", "2045: Radical Man", and "The Daisy Chain". | |
2006 | 3121 | 1 | 9 | The New Power Generation is credited for "shouts" on the song "Lolita". |
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [11] | US R&B [12] | US Dance [13] | UK [6] [7] | |||
1991 | "Gett Off" | 21 | 6 | 1 | 4 | Diamonds and Pearls |
"Cream" | 1 | — | — | 15 | ||
"Diamonds and Pearls" | 3 | 1 | — | 25 | ||
1992 | "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" | 23 | 14 | — | 19 | |
"Insatiable" | 77 | 3 | — | — | ||
"Thunder" | — | — | — | 28 | ||
"Sexy MF"/"Strollin'" | 66 | 76 | — | 4 | Love Symbol Album/Diamonds and Pearls | |
"My Name Is Prince" | 36 | 25 | 9 | 7 | Love Symbol Album | |
"My Name Is Prince" (remixes) | — | — | — | 51 | N/A | |
"7" | 7 | 61 | — | 27 | Love Symbol Album | |
"The Morning Papers" | 44 | 68 | — | 52 | ||
"Damn U" | — | 32 | — | — | ||
1993 | "Nothing Compares 2 U" | — | 62 | — | — | The Hits/The B-Sides; B-side to "Peach" |
2002 | "Days of Wild" | — | — | — | — | N/A |
2004 | "Controversy (Live in Hawaii)" | — | — | — | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US R&B [12] | AUS [14] | UK [6] [7] | |||
1993 | "2gether" | — | — | — | Gold Nigga |
1994 | "Get Wild" | — | — | 19 | Exodus |
"Count the Days" | — | — | — | ||
"Super Hero" featuring the Steeles | — | — | — | Blankman: Music from the Motion Picture | |
1995 | "The Good Life" | — | 32 | 29 | Exodus |
1996 | "Girl 6" | 78 | — | — | Girl 6 |
1997 | "The Good Life" (re-issue) | — | — | 15 | Exodus |
1998 | "The War" | — | — | — | N/A |
"The One" | 44 | — | — | Newpower Soul | |
"Come On" | — | — | 65 | ||
2001 | "Peace"/"2045: Radical Man" | — | — | — | The Slaughterhouse |
"The Daisy Chain"/"Gamillah" | — | — | — | The Slaughterhouse/The Chocolate Invasion | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | Additional information | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [11] | US R&B [12] | UK [6] [7] | ||||
1990 | "New Power Generation" | 64 | 27 | 26 | Graffiti Bridge | The New Power Generation provides backing vox |
1995 | "Purple Medley" | 84 | 74 | 33 | N/A | The New Power Generation contributes additional music |
Diamonds and Pearls is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the first with his backing band The New Power Generation. It was released on October 1, 1991, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album produced several hit singles, including "Gett Off", "Cream", "Money Don't Matter 2 Night", "Insatiable", and the title track. Dancers Lori Werner and Robia LaMorte, known as "Diamond" and "Pearl" respectively, appeared on the holographic cover. Diamond and Pearl also appeared in the music videos for "Cream", "Strollin'", "Gett Off", and the title track, and also participated in Prince's Diamonds and Pearls Tour.
Sonny T. is an American bass player. He was a member of The New Power Generation, Prince's recording and stage band, from 1991–1996.
Love Symbol is the fourteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the second of two that featured his backing band the New Power Generation. It was released on October 13, 1992, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. It was originally conceived as a "fantasy rock soap opera" with various spoken segues throughout, and contains elements of R&B, funk, pop, rock, and soul.
Girl 6 is the soundtrack album to the Spike Lee film of the same name. All songs were written by Prince. It was released on March 19, 1996, by Warner Bros. Records. The album consists of mostly previously released songs from Prince and related artists such as the Family, Vanity 6, and the New Power Generation. The three previously unreleased tracks are "She Spoke 2 Me", "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" and "Girl 6", which was newly recorded for the soundtrack.
Levi Seacer Jr. is an American musician. He was an early associate of Sheila E. when he was tapped by Prince to form a new touring band after the demise of The Revolution in 1986. Seacer became the band's bassist, as well as a backing vocalist. Later, he began collaborating with Prince as a songwriter on several projects. Seacer was a founding member of Prince's The New Power Generation in 1991, switching from bass to the band's guitarist. He remained a member of the band until 1993, and also participated in the later version of Madhouse. After leaving the Prince camp in 1993, Seacer has worked as a producer and session musician on various projects, most notably the gospel music ensemble Sounds of Blackness.
Exodus is the second studio album by the New Power Generation. Although the track listing boasts 21 tracks, many of them are narrative segues, leaving only nine actual songs. Of those, one is an instrumental. The album spawned three singles, though only one was released in the United States.
"Cream" is a song by American singer-songwriter Prince and his backing band the New Power Generation, released in September 1991 by Paisley Park and Warner as the second single from Prince's 13th studio album, Diamonds and Pearls (1991). In a 2004 MTV special, Prince joked that he wrote the song while looking at himself in the mirror. "Cream" became Prince's fifth and last number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100, staying at the top for two weeks. The song entered the top 10 in 15 other countries worldwide, peaking within the top three in Australia, Canada, Norway, and Switzerland. Its music video was directed by Rebecca Blake.
Rosie Gaines is an American singer, songwriter and record producer from Pittsburg, California. Gaines is a former band member of Prince's group the New Power Generation. She duetted with singer Prince on the hit song "Diamonds and Pearls". She released a number of dance hits, the most notable being "Closer Than Close", which made the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart in 1997.
"Gett Off" is a song written and produced by American musician Prince, released in June 1991 by Paisley Park and Warner Bros. as the lead single from his thirteenth album, Diamonds and Pearls (1991). The album was his first with his backing band the New Power Generation. "Gett Off" was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number four in the United Kingdom; the maxi-single was too long and pricey to appear on the UK Singles Chart, so this release was classified as an album, peaking at number 33 on the UK Albums Chart in August 1991.
"Diamonds and Pearls" is the title track of American musician Prince and The New Power Generation's 1991 album and was released as a single in November 1991. The song is an upbeat ballad, given a rock edge with guitar and heavy drumming. It also features the vocals of NPG member Rosie Gaines. The ballad is an expression of love and not lust, as is the theme on some of the other singles from the album. It was a top 10 hit, reaching number three in the US and the top spot on the R&B chart. The pearls in the accompanying music video come from Connie Parente, a Los Angeles jewelry collector and designer.
"New Power Generation", or "N.P.G.", is a song by American musician Prince from the 1990 album and film Graffiti Bridge. It is an anthem for his backing band, The New Power Generation, who were officially co-credited on his album covers for a time, and continued to back him up until 2013, albeit with a changing lineup. The song saw minimal chart attention, and was not as successful as its predecessor, "Thieves in the Temple".
Michael Bland is an American musician best known as a drummer for Prince starting in 1989. He was with Prince during The New Power Generation era and played with him live and on albums for seven years.
"Sexy MF" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation, released as a single from their 1992 album Love Symbol. The music and most of the lyrics were composed by Prince, while Levi Seacer Jr. came up with the chorus and the song's title. Tony M. also delivers a rap, which he wrote. The song and its refrain "You sexy motherfucker" caused some controversy, and edited versions were produced for radio, the music video and the US version of the album. The song was recorded in Paisley Park's Studio A in December 1991.
"My Name Is Prince" is a song by American musician Prince and his backing band the New Power Generation, released in September 1992 by Paisley Park and Warner Bros. as the second single from their 1992 Love Symbol album. The song is about Prince himself and his musical prowess. The rap sequence is performed by NPG member Tony M. The intro to the song features vocal samples from Prince's earlier songs "I Wanna Be Your Lover", "Partyup", and "Controversy". Its music video was directed by Parris Patton and featured Kirstie Alley and Lauren Green.
"The Morning Papers" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation from their 1992 album Love Symbol. It was released as the fourth worldwide single from the album in March 1993 by Paisley Park and Warner Bros.; the B-side is "Live 4 Love", a track from Prince's previous album, Diamonds and Pearls (1991). The UK CD single included "Love 2 the 9's" as well, also from Love Symbol. "The Morning Papers" peaked at numbers 44 and 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100.
"Tonight" is a song by the American pop band Jonas Brothers from their third studio album, A Little Bit Longer (2008). It was released as the third and final single from the album on January 9, 2009. Fueled by digital downloads, the song debuted and peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart on August 7, 2008, the group's second top ten single and third highest-charting single to date. The song also reached the top twenty in Canada.
Nick Jonas & the Administration was a band formed in late 2009 as a side project by Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers. Performers included singer, pianist, guitarist, drummer, and songwriter Nick Jonas, bassist John Fields, drummer Michael Bland, keyboardist Tommy Barbarella, and guitarist David Ryan Harris. Sonny Thompson replaced David Ryan Harris during the 2010 Who I Am Tour. The group was named after Nick Jonas's interest in the presidency.
Who I Am is the only studio album from Nick Jonas & the Administration. It was released on February 2, 2010, in the US. The group made its live debut performing a single of the same name on the Grammy Nominations Concert Live special on December 2, 2009, on CBS. Jonas cut the album in eight days with producer John Fields, who also played bass. Additional members of the Administration include drummer Michael Bland and keyboardist Tommy Barbarella, both of whom played in The New Power Generation. Guitarist David Ryan Harris played on the album, but a third former NPG member, Sonny Thompson, replaced him on live shows.
The Diamonds and Pearls Tour was a concert tour by American recording artist Prince and the New Power Generation promoting his Diamonds and Pearls album, released the previous year. The tour itinerary were scheduled dates in Asia, Europe, and for the first time, Australia. Like several of his then-recent tours, Prince chose not to tour the United States, the exception being the Lovesexy Tour in 1988. It would be 1993's Act I Tour before Prince did a full tour of the United States.
DNCE was an American dance-rock band consisting of lead singer Joe Jonas, drummer Jack Lawless, and guitarist JinJoo Lee. Bassist and keyboardist Cole Whittle was a part of the band from when it started in 2015 to when it went on hiatus in 2018. DNCE's music is mainly dance-rock, dance-pop, pop rock, and funk-pop. The band signed with Republic Records, who gave them a record deal to release their debut single, "Cake by the Ocean", which was released on September 18, 2015. The song reached the top 10 on several charts, including on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number nine. Their debut extended play (EP), Swaay, was released on October 23, 2015. Their self-titled debut studio album was released on November 18, 2016. Their second EP, People to People, was released on June 15, 2018. They were also nominated for Favorite New Artist for the 2016 Kids' Choice Awards and Best Song to Lip Sync and Best Anthem for the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards. The group performed at the 2017 Fashion Meets Music Festival. In February 2022, DNCE returned after their hiatus with a collaboration with Kygo titled "Dancing Feet". The band went back on hiatus in mid-2023.