3rdEyeGirl

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3rdEyeGirl
General information
origin Minneapolis ( Minnesota ), United States
Genre (s) Funk , pop , rock
founding 2012
Founding members
Prince († 2016)
Donna Grantis
Drums, backing vocals
 Hannah Ford-Welton
Electric bass, backing vocals
 Ida Kristine Nielsen
Current occupation
Guitar, backing vocals
 Donna Grantis
Drums, backing vocals
 Hannah Ford-Welton
Electric bass, backing vocals
 Ida Kristine Nielsen

3rdEyeGirl , also spelled 3rdeyegirl or 3RDEYEGIRL , is an American funk , pop and rock band . It was founded in December 2012 by Prince in Minneapolis , Minnesota and consists of guitarist Donna Grantis, drummer Hannah Ford-Welton and bassist Ida Kristine Nielsen . The trio supported him in his concerts and studio recordings until 2015. 3rdEyeGirl was after The Revolution and The New Power Generation Prince's third and last backing band in his career.

In September 2014 Prince released the only joint studio album PlectrumElectrum with 3rdEyeGirl , which reached top ten placements in some countries. 3rdEyeGirl has not been active since Prince's death in April 2016. However, the band has not yet announced a breakup (as of 2020).

The term “third eye” describes an esoteric concept of an invisible eye that enables perception beyond ordinary vision. It is not publicly known whether this meaning played a role for Prince in the naming of his backing band.

The 3rdEyeGirl trio

Ida Kristin Nielsen was born in 1975 in Arhus , Denmark, Donna Grantis on September 28, 1986 in Mississauga , Canada. She is married to Trevor Guy, who started working as a guitar technician for Prince in 2012 and is responsible for public relations at the Paisley Park Studios after his death. Hannah Ford was born on June 29, 1990 in Louisville , Kentucky and is known today under the name Hannah Ford-Welton - she took the surname of her husband Joshua Aaron Michael Welton (born October 21, 1990), with whom they two Has children. The musician Joshua Welton also worked with Prince from 2012 to 2016.

Band history

Ida Nielsen, 2016

Ida Nielsen has played in Prince's backing band The New Power Generation since the 20th tour in 2010 , and Hannah Ford first engaged Hannah Ford in September 2012 for three live concerts in Chicago , Illinois, after seeing music videos of her on the Internet. After these live concerts, Prince asked Hannah Ford and her husband Joshua Welton if they could find a guitarist for a new band. The couple finally became aware of Donna Grantis in late November 2012 when they saw videos of her on YouTube . A week later, Grantis was invited by Prince to his Paisley Park studio in Chanhassen , Minnesota, then he hired her as a guitarist. The band name 3rdEyeGirl first appeared in public on December 31, 2012 when Prince streamed a rehearsal music video of his song Bambi (1979) on YouTube .

3rdEyeGirl made their concert debut as a backing band for Prince on January 18, 2013 at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis , Minnesota. From April 15, 2013 to May 25, 2013 Prince went on tour with 3rdEyeGirl for the first time , which he called Live-Out-Loud-Tour and which led exclusively through the USA and Canada. In 2014, Prince and 3rdEyeGirl also toured Europe, but never visited Germany, Austria or Switzerland.

On June 14, 2015, 3rdEyeGirl's last concert as a backing band took place in Washington, DC at the Warner Theater. Afterwards, individual members of 3rdEyeGirl performed live with Prince, but no longer as a trio.

After the album PlectrumElectrum , released in September 2014, Prince worked on a new album in 2015 with the working title New 3rdEyeGirl String Session . According to arranger Michael B. Nelson, who worked with Prince from 1991 to 2001 and from 2011 to 2016, Prince had written some songs "with symphonic guitar solos" that Donna Grantis had already recorded and Nelson had recorded. A corresponding album could not be completed because Prince died surprisingly in April 2016.

Discography

Studio album

On September 26, 2014 Prince released the album PlectrumElectrum with 3rdEyeGirl on the Warner Bros. Records / NPG Records label .

Charts Top ranking Weeks
Chart placements
Germany (GfK) Germany (GfK) 31 (2 weeks) 2
Austria (Ö3) Austria (Ö3) 10 (2 weeks) 2
Switzerland (IFPI) Switzerland (IFPI) 8th (5 weeks) 5
United Kingdom (OCC) United Kingdom (OCC) 11 (2 weeks) 2
United States (Billboard) United States (Billboard) 8th (4 weeks) 4th

The single Pretzelbodylogic only reached number 90 in the British charts and Fixurlifeup was not placed in the international charts. In addition, 3rdEyeGirl played on the single Screwdriver released by Prince in 2013 , which he placed on his last album HITnRUN Phase Two during his lifetime . Furthermore, the Prince-produced non-album track Live Out Loud could be downloaded on February 22, 2013 , in which Hannah Ford took over the lead vocals.

Ida Nielsen

Ida Kristine Nielsen and Donna Grantis also released studio albums under their own names. However, none of the albums listed did not make it into the international charts. Hannah Ford-Welton has not released an album of her own so far.

  • 2008: Jam (under her pseudonym Bassida)
  • 2011: Sometimes a Girl Needs Sugar Too
  • 2016: Turnitup (the song Showmewhatugot was mixed by Prince )
  • 2018: Time 2 Stop Worrying ('bout The Weird Stuff)
  • 2020: 02022020

Donna Grantis

  • 2012: Suites (under Donna Granti's Electric Band)
  • 2018: Trashformer
  • 2019: Diamonds & Dynamite

literature

  • Jason Draper: Prince - Life & Times (Revised & Updated Edition). Chartwell Books, New York 2016, ISBN 978-0-7858-3497-7 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Donna Grantis: "Prince taught me about articulation, attitude, power and tones". In: Guitarworld.com. August 29, 2019, accessed April 11, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Trevor Guy: Trevor Guy. In: linkedin.com. 2019, accessed on April 11, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Hannah Welton-Ford. In: Princevault.com. March 5, 2016, accessed April 11, 2020 .
  4. ↑ 3rdEyeGirl. In: Princevault.com. October 22, 2019, accessed April 11, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Draper (2016), p. 194.
  6. ↑ All Performances: 1979 - 2016. In: Princevault.com. March 18, 2017, accessed April 11, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Draper (2016), p. 195.
  8. ↑ Prince. officialcharts.de, accessed on April 11, 2020 .
  9. ↑ Prince. austriancharts.at, accessed on April 11, 2020 .
  10. ↑ Prince. hitparade.ch, accessed on April 11, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Prince. officialcharts.com, accessed April 11, 2020 .
  12. ^ Prince - Chart History. billboard.com, accessed April 11, 2020 .