Prince

His name was Prince, and he was funky. He was also inspiring, infuriating, visionary, secretive,seductive, contradictory. Especially contradictory. He channelled dualities as if doing so were the most natural thing in the world. When he changed his name to an unpronounceable glyph, he merged symbols of the male and female to represent himself. When he recorded music - a daily torrent of creativity - he slipped with ease between male and female points of view. Switching instruments and musical styles throughout concerts and across albums - sometimes during individual songs - he saw no boundaries; instead, he brought opposing forces together. Like sex and religion - especially sex and religion - embarking on a quest to reconcile a dirty mind with a love for God. This book will chart the 5' 2" 'Minneapolis genius' rise from 'the next Stevie Wonder' to a unique artist whose towering legacy continues to shape pop culture.

Jason Draper is a music journalist and author of Prince: Life and Times (2017), Led Zeppelin: Revealed (2008) and A Brief History Of Album Covers (2017). He is reviews editor of Record Collector magazine and regularly contributes to the NME, as well as Uncut, Metal Hammer and Dance Today.