Watch Prince perform a new song, divulge his favorite breakfast food on Arsenio
Everyone's favorite pop enigma and avant-garde selfie-taker Prince quite literally took over Arsenio last night, performing three songs, fielding questions from the audience, and sitting down for a surprisingly serious interview. Prince used the rare late-night appearance to debut a new song, "FUNKNROLL," from his upcoming album, and also played two classics, "She's Always in My Hair" and "Mutiny." The performances shined in true maximalist fashion: There were dancers, costume changes, and, at one point, a 30-piece band.
During the interview, a subdued Prince spoke pretty openly about his life and his music. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he disclosed that he doesn't have a cell phone, but gets by because everyone around him does. When asked about his relationship with the internet, Prince explained his problems with making art in the internet era thusly: "It's a double-edged sword. A lot of artists aren't getting full scale for their art. When people say they love you, respect you, but at the same time take 80 percent of your earnings...that's the sharp part of the sword."
Arsenio also opened the floor up to the audience for questions, which led to an uncomfortable but kind of incredible segment in which Prince broke up with an audience member's girlfriend on the phone. Watch Prince debut "FUNKNROLL" and talk with Arsenio in the videos above, and check out the other two songs and the question-and-answer antics here.
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Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
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