Prince is teaming up with Tidal to release his upcoming album “Hitnrun” exclusively on Sept. 7, the streaming service announced in a statement on Friday.
The multi-platinum music artist’s album was first announced by his band 3RDEYEGIRL on BBC radio last month, following the release of its first single “HardRockLover.”
“Super hardcore Prince fans that know every song he’s ever recorded — we refer to them as ‘The Purple Collective’ or ‘The Purple Army’ — this album is absolutely for them, because it’s super funky,” 3RDEYEGIRL said. “There are a lot of experimental sounds. It’s just hit after hit and definitely caters to those fans who just love to hear what Prince has to say, rather than wanting to always hear that classic Purple Rain Prince sound.”
Prince commended Tidal for quickly executing plans for the album’s release.
“From its conception and that one [and] only meeting, HITNRUN took about 90 days [to] prepare its release,” he said. “If that’s what freedom feels like, HITNRUN is what it sounds like.”
The artist formerly known as an unpronounceable symbol collaborated on “Hitnrun” with co-producer Joshua Welton, who was also a co-producer on Prince’s “ArtOfficialage,” which was released late last year.
The partnership between Prince and Tidal has been in the works for several months, having begun in May with Tidal live-streaming the first hour of Prince’s Rally 4 Peace concert in Baltimore. The company hosted live audio of the event and matched funds for donations made on its website.