Legendary artist Prince died five years ago on April 21, 2016 — marking a desperately sad time for fans and the music industry who lost one of the most innovative and intriguing musicians of all time.
Because his legacy lives on, the singer’s previously unreleased 2010 album Welcome 2 America will be available from July 30 2021, but you can listen to the title track now on Spotify and Apple Music.
The album consists of 12 tracks which Prince compiled from his iconic his Paisley Park Studios in Minnesota and is described as “a powerful creative statement that documents Prince’s concerns, hopes, and visions for a shifting society, presciently foreshadowing an era of political division, disinformation, and a renewed fight for racial justice.”
The late singer’s estate, which is co-run by his younger sister Tyka Nelson, partnered with the Sony label Legacy Recordings to release the archived material which will also include a never-before-released full concert video of Prince’s April 28, 2011 show at The Forum from his 21 Nite Stand series.
The full tracklist features the songs Welcome 2 America, Running Game (Son Of A Slave Master), Born 2 Die, 1000 Light Years From Here, Hot Summer, Stand Up and B Strong, Check The Record, Same Page, Different Book, When She Comes 1010 (Rin Tin Tin) and Yes One Day We Will All B Free.
Over the course of his career Prince — born Prince Rogers Nelson — won seven Grammys, a Golden Globe and one Oscar, with the latter being for Best Original Song Score in 1985 for Purple Rain. He was inducted into the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and remains one of the highest-selling artists of all time, having sold Prince sold over 150 million records worldwide.
The singer died from an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2016, at the age of 57.
Welcome 2 America is the latest posthumous release from Prince’s much-discussed vault which only he had access to — in fact, it had to be drilled open after he passed away. The 12-track album follows the previously released acoustic set Piano and a Microphone 1983, and Originals which was a compilation of songs he had written for other people.
Welcome 2 America is available through Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and Tidal for streaming and also available for purchase digitally through the iTunes Store and Amazon Music.
Read more stories from The Latch and subscribe to our email newsletter.