Prince was not a fan of two of his biggest peers in the music industry just before his death. Newly discovered notes written by the late music legend were recently revealed, and in one sampling, the “Purple Rain” singer expressed disdain for pop superstars Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran.
Prince’s recently unearthed notes about the music industry included a surprising line about the two superstar singers, according to BBC News .
“We need to tell them that they keep trying to ram Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran down our throats and we don’t like it no matter how many times they play it.”
Prince’s comment about Perry and Sheeran was found among handwritten lyrics inside the singer’s Minnesota home following his 2016 death .
Prince’s estate was scoured following his death, and rare photos and letters were used for his memoir, The Beautiful Ones. The book, which was announced just weeks before Prince’s death, was recently completed by co-author Dan Piepenbring following the singer’s accidental drug overdose.
In the book, Piepenbring admitted he didn’t know exactly what Prince’s issue was with Perry and Sheeran.
“To be honest I was so much in agreement with him on that subject that there didn’t seem to be any more to say about it at the time,” the author explained.
Peipenbring added that Prince was likely “bemoaning a culture that simply doesn’t allow artists to color outside the lines.”
Although Prince wasn’t a fan of Katy Perry’s, the “Roar” singer idolized him. On the day of Prince’s death, Perry took to Twitter to thank him for his music — and his magic.
And just like that…the world lost a lot of magic ? Rest in peace Prince! Thanks for giving us so much…
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) April 21, 2016
The Beautiful Ones will include everything from Prince’s childhood diary entries to hand-drawn cartoons. But it’s his thoughts on the music industry that may be the most telling.
In an interview with NPR , Piepenbring, who had never penned a book before meeting with Prince, said he visited Paisley Park, Prince’s estate outside of Minneapolis, and talked about the book with the singer.
“I remember once we were in that elevator at Paisley [Park] — the same one where he would later be found — and he said, ‘You’ve got me all hopped up on this industry talk. I can’t wait to write about the music industry and my mother,’” Piepenbring revealed.
Sadly, the duo’s talks were cut short. But Prince had long talked about his issues with the music industry. Besides the fact that he thought record exes were trying to “ram” today’s pop music down listeners’ throats, Prince previously denounced record label contracts.
One year before Prince’s death, Rolling Stone reported that he compared record contracts to slavery.
“I would tell any young artist… don’t sign,” the singer said in 2015.
Prince voiced his concern about how record labels turn artists into “indentured servitude” noting that the artists have no control over how labels profit off their music online.
In the 1990s, Prince went so far as to change his name to “the Artist Formerly Known As” and later to a symbol in an effort to “emancipate” himself from his longtime label, Warner Bros.
Prince’s memoir, The Beautiful Ones , will be released on October 29.