Vanity 6

Vanity 6

Company type	Vocal trio
Industry	Music
Founded	1981
Founder	Prince
Defunct	1983
Headquarters	United States
Products	Music albums and singles

Vanity 6 was a female vocal trio from the United States that rose to prominence in the early 1980s, recognized as protégées of the artist Prince. Fronted by lead singer Vanity, they are best remembered for their popular track "Nasty Girl". After Vanity exited the group in 1983, the ensemble was renamed Apollonia 6.

Formation

In 1981, Prince, then an emerging musical talent, proposed forming a girl group consisting of Susan Moonsie, her sister Loreen, and Jamie Shoop, who worked at Cavallo, Ruffalo & Fargnoli. Initially dubbed the Hookers, Prince imagined the trio performing in lingerie with songs centered on themes of sensuality, romance, and fantasy. Rick James later asserted that Prince had appropriated his concept of a seductive female trio focused on love and empowerment during a 1980 tour. According to Brenda Bennett—the wife of set designer Roy Bennett and a future member—the goal was to craft a "1980s iteration of The Supremes."

The initial group recorded demo tracks before Prince encountered Denise Matthews, a Canadian model and B-movie actress with singing abilities. Impressed by her presence at the 1982 American Music Awards, Prince appointed her as lead vocalist. He initially suggested the stage name Vagina, which she rejected, requesting that the group's name be changed from the Hookers. The final decision was to adopt Vanity as her stage name and Vanity 6 as the group’s title. Prince selected Vanity because he perceived her as a feminine counterpart to himself. Around this period, Prince and Vanity also began a romantic involvement. With Vanity's inclusion, the lineup consisted of Vanity as lead singer, supported by Brenda Bennett and Susan Moonsie on backing vocals. Prince supplied provocative material for the lingerie-clad performers, occasionally sharing songwriting credits with group members.

Career

Their debut single "He's So Dull" failed to enter the US Hot 100 but achieved modest success in Australia and the Netherlands; it was also featured in the film National Lampoon's Vacation.

The follow-up single "Nasty Girl" climbed to number 7 on the U.S. R&B chart and secured the top spot on the U.S. Dance chart. It also reached the top ten in the Netherlands and ranked within the top twenty in Belgium’s Flanders region. This track appeared in movies such as Beverly Hills Cop, Private School, and Girl 6.

Their third release, "Drive Me Wild," garnered limited chart success. Music videos were created for all three singles. The group's sole album, Vanity 6, achieved gold certification. Occasionally, members contributed backing vocals on Prince's projects. During 1982-83, Vanity 6 served as an opening act for Prince’s 1999 tour, performing alongside The Time.

Tensions arose within the group due to internal leadership struggles between Vanity and Brenda Bennett; Prince frequently assigned Bennett leadership responsibilities that Vanity disputed. Vanity participated in a photoshoot with Richard Avedon alongside Prince, which included appearing on the cover of the April 28, 1983 edition of Rolling Stone, accompanied by a two-page photo feature of Vanity 6. In 1983, Vanity recorded demo tracks for a potential second album for Vanity 6, including "Sex Shooter".

However, during pre-production for Purple Rain in August 1983, Vanity departed from the group and relinquished her role in the film. Reported reasons include disagreements over royalties, Prince’s authoritative control, and the conclusion of their romantic relationship.

Post-Vanity 6

Following Vanity's exit, Apollonia joined the ensemble, prompting a rebranding to Apollonia 6. Apollonia assumed Vanity's character in the motion picture Purple Rain. The group issued their sole album, titled Apollonia 6, in the year 1984.

Vanity, the original lead singer, embarked on a solo path in both music and acting. In 1994, she experienced a near-fatal kidney failure due to an overdose of crack cocaine. After recuperating, she embraced born again Christianity, abandoned her stage persona, and withdrew from the entertainment industry. She passed away from kidney-related illness on February 15, 2016. Meanwhile, Moonsie shifted to real estate before eventually launching a career as a restaurateur.

Studio albums

• Vanity 6 (1982)

Singles

Selected singles with peak chart rankings

Title (A-side/B-side)	Year	Highest chart positions						Album
		US	US R&B	US Dance	AUS	BEL (FL)	NLD
"He's So Dull" "Make-Up"	1982	—	—	—	92	—	44	Vanity 6
"Nasty Girl" "Drive Me Wild"		101	7	1	—	11	7
"Drive Me Wild" "3 × 2 = 6"		—	—	—	—	—	—
"Bite the Beat" "3 × 2 = 6"		—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" indicates tracks that did not chart or were not released in those markets.

Unreleased second Vanity 6 album

After Vanity left the group, several tracks originally meant for their second album were reassigned as follows:

• Sex Shooter, which was later performed by Apollonia 6; Vanity 6's version has surfaced online unofficially.
• 17 Days, serving as the B-side to Prince's When Doves Cry, released by Prince featuring background vocals from Bennett.
• G-Spot, appearing on Jill Jones' debut release; a demo combining Vanity 6/Prince elements with Jill Jones' vocals has been leaked.
• Vibrator, available online through leaks, includes Prince in a humorous spoken segment alongside Jill Jones. This piece narrates Vanity’s encounter with a body massager and is divided into three sections: verse/chorus, comedic sketch, and finale. Vocals from this track were later repurposed by Prince on the outro of the Come album track Orgasm (1994), where she is credited as "She knows...".
• Moral Majority

See also

• List of artists who have topped the US Dance chart