New Power Generation
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Successor | 3rdeyegirl |
| Headquarters | Minneapolis , United States |
| Products | Music albums, live performances |
The New Power Generation, commonly known as NPG, served as Prince's supporting band from 1990 until 2013, when they were succeeded by 3rdeyegirl. They came together once more in 2015 to contribute to Prince’s last studio album, Hit n Run Phase Two, and reunited again in 2017 for tours across the United States and Europe.
History
The expression "Welcome to the New Power Generation" made its initial appearance on the 1988 album Lovesexy. The NPG moniker was first officially used in the 1990 film Graffiti Bridge, with the title track featured on its soundtrack.
Their live debut occurred during the Nude Tour in 1990, while their first recorded appearance was on the 1991 release Diamonds and Pearls. The original lineup comprised Michael Bland on drums, Levi Seacer, Jr. handling guitar duties, Rosie Gaines on keyboards and vocals, Tony M. performing rap and dance, percussionist and dancer Kirk Johnson, dancer Damon Dickson, along with newcomers Tommy Barbarella (keyboards) and Sonny T. (bass). After completing the Diamonds and Pearls Tour, Gaines departed and Morris Hayes took over keyboard responsibilities.
Amid Prince’s conflict with Warner Bros. and his adoption of an unpronounceable symbol as a name in 1993, NPG functioned as a vehicle for releasing music independently of his contract. Their inaugural album, Goldnigga, featured Tony M. as the primary rapper and fused 1970s funk elements with hip-hop. Prince shared lead vocal duties on two tracks and frequently performed them during concerts.
In early 1994, a more condensed version of NPG supported Prince on the album The Gold Experience. This period saw the departure of rappers and dancers as well as Levi Seacer. Dancer Mayte Garcia took on enhanced backing vocal roles, including Spanish-language parts. This ensemble released Exodus in 1995, emphasizing funk rhythms with Prince adopting the masked alter ego "Tora Tora" for lead vocals.
By 1996, veteran members Bland, Barbarella, and Sonny T. were replaced for touring purposes by guitarists Kat Dyson and Mike Scott, bassist Rhonda Smith, alongside Morris Hayes and the returning drummer Kirk Johnson.
The 1998 album Newpower Soul prominently featured Prince on both cover art and vocals, heavily utilizing drum programming from Johnson and contributions by Larry Graham and Doug E. Fresh.
A fourth album titled Peace, planned for release in 2001, was ultimately shelved; however, some tracks emerged through limited distributions and later appeared on Prince’s albums The Slaughterhouse and The Chocolate Invasion.
Since then, NPG has functioned with a fluid lineup of musicians whose official membership status has varied over time.
In 2010, original members Bland, Barbarella, and Sonny T. joined forces with Nick Jonas and the Administration, a side project led by Nick Jonas.
In 2013, NPG vocalist Elisa Fiorillo launched the Dease & Reese Project, issuing Life in 20 in 2014 while maintaining her collaboration with Prince.
The band reunited with Prince once again in 2015 to work on his final studio project.
After Prince’s passing in 2016, NPG regrouped for tribute tours held in 2017 and 2019 throughout both North America and Europe.
Discography
Below is the discography of the New Power Generation as credited independently from Prince.
Albums attributed to Prince and the New Power Generation
| Year | Album | Highest chart rankings | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | |||
| 1991 | Diamonds and Pearls | 3 | 2 | * BPI: Double Platinum |
| 1992 | Love Symbol Album | 5 | 1 | |
| 2002 | One Nite Alone... Live! | — | — | |
| 2003 | C-Note | — | — | |
| 2007 | Planet Earth | 3 | — | |
| "—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts. | ||||
Albums credited solely to the New Power Generation
| Year | Album | Highest chart rankings | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | |||
| 1993 | Gold Nigga | — | — | Lead vocals by Tony M. |
| 1995 | Exodus | — | 11 | Sonny T. performs lead vocals. |
| 1998 | Newpower Soul | 22 | 38 | Prince on lead vocals; cover features symbol and portrait. |
Albums released under the NPG Orchestra
Personnel:
- Prince
- The NPG
- Clare Fischer Orchestra
| Year | Album information |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Kamasutra
|
Albums featuring contributions from the New Power Generation
| Year | Album | Highest chart rankings | Additional details | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | ||||||||
| 1990 | Graffiti Bridge | 6 | 1 | 'Uncredited New Power Generation members provided backing vocals on "New Power Generation". | |||||
| 1994 | Blankman | — | — | 'Super Hero' features credits to New Power Generation and the Steeles. | |||||
| 1995 | The Gold Experience | — | — | 'Produced, arranged, composed, and performed by Prince alongside New Power Generation. | |||||
| 1996 | Girl 6 | 75 | — | 'Includes "Count the Days" from Exodus; title track credited to New Power Generation with Prince as lead vocalist. | |||||
| 2004 |
— |
— |
'New Power Generation credited for "Gamillah". |
— |
— |
'New Power Generation credited on "Peace", "2045: Radical Man", and "The Daisy Chain". | |||
| 2006 |
1 |
9 |
'New Power Generation acknowledged for "shouts" on the track "Lolita". | ||||||
Singles attributed to Prince and the New Power Generation
| Year | Title | Highest chart rankings | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US R&B | US Dance | UK Singles Chart | |||
| 1991 | "Gett Off" | 21 | 6 | 1 | 4 | Diamonds and Pearls |
| "Cream" | 1 | — | — | 15 | ||
| "Diamonds and Pearls" | 3 | 1 | — | 25 | ||
| align= "left" | "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" | 23 | 14 | — | 19 | ||
| 77 | 3 | — | — | |||
| — | — | — | 28 | |||
| 66 | 76 | — | 4 | |||
| 36 | 25 | 9 | 7 | |||
| — | — | — | 51 | |||
| 7 | 61 | — | 27 | |||
| 44 | 68 | — | 52 | |||
| — | 32 | — | — | |||
| align= "left" | "Nothing Compares 2 U" | — | 62 | — | — | The Hits/The B-Sides; B-side to "Peach" | |
| align= "left" | "Days of Wild" | — | — | — | — | N/A | |
| align= "left" | ""Controversy (Live in Hawaii)" | — | — | — | — | ||
Singles released under the New Power Generation name
| Year | Title | Highest chart rankings | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B | AUS | UK | |||
| 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-issued) | — | — | 15 | Exodus |
| 1998 | "The War" | — | — | — | N/A |
| "The One" | 44 | — | — | align="left" rowspan=2Newpower Soul | |
| — | — | 65 | |||
| align= "left" | "Peace"/"2045: Radical Man" | — | — | — | The Slaughterhouse | |
| — | — | — | The Slaughterhouse/The Chocolate Invasion | ||
Singles featuring contributions from the New Power Generation
| Year | Title | Highest chart rankings | Album | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | UK | ||||
| 1990 | "New Power Generation" | 64 | 27 | 26 | Graffiti Bridge | Backing vocals performed by the New Power Generation |
| 1995 | "Purple Medley" | 84 | 74 | 33 | N/A | Additional musical contributions by the New Power Generation |
See also
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance chart
- The Revolution