Raphael Saadiq (LA Philharmonic)
*Raphael Saadiq has offered a rare interview in which he opens up about his time working for Prince.
The former Tony! Toni! Tone! lead singer told The Quietus that at age 18, he auditioned to be Prince’s protégé as well as part of the Parade Tour backing band that Prince crafted for Sheila E. Saadiq said he was beyond excited to be in the presence of the Purple One, but was always taught to play it cool.
“I was taught by my dad not to look excited at the point Prince said my name. I played the bass guitar in my audition like Prince meant absolutely nothing to me,” said Saadiq.
The singer/musician said he was shocked to have made the cut, but even more thrown about what Prince required of him and any other musician in his bands, including dressing like one of “The Blouses,” referenced by the late Charlie Murphy in his iconic “Chappelle Show” skit.
“To be in the band you had to wear a ton of make-up, it was mandatory,” said Saadiq. “You had to almost sign a contract to wear eyeliner, blusher and basically look like a girl. That Dave Chappelle skit was no joke, we literally were The Blouses!”
When not on stage during the tour, Saadiq said he would throw on his regular drip: a bomber jacket, Detroit Titans baseball cap and white T-shirt with Levi’s 501 jeans and Nike Cortez sneakers.
“Prince liked that I dressed differently cos’ he could see I was my own person. I knew when I was playing ‘Erotic City’ in Yokohama, Japan, that my life had sort of changed.”
Meanwhile, Saadiq also talked about his song, “The Way I See It,” losing to Jennifer Hudson at the 2016 Grammy Awards, and how the honor has become diluted.
“They’ve 100% lost their way and are out of touch,” he said. “I remember ‘The Way I See It’ lost to J-Hud at the Grammys! I wasn’t even surprised. If you have a day job and work in a corporate building then that’s who that show is for. Britney Spears won a Grammy before Steely Dan, that’s crazy!”
“There’s no point sitting down and talking about it. All awards shows needs to get off TV and just die. Music would be much better if people didn’t make it for an award.”
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