January 2, 2009 13:44

Prince to release three albums in 2009

Star shuns record labels and chooses to release the music independently

Prince is planning to release three new albums in 2009.

The singer says he has almost completed two solo albums, tentatively titled 'MPLSOUND' and 'Lotus Flower', as well as a record with his protégé Bria Valente called 'Elixir'.

All three albums are likely to be released by Prince independently, with the LA Times reporting that the star is in negotiations with a major US retailer to distribute physical copies of the music.

'MPLSOUND' allegedly features a guest appearance by Q-Tip, and Prince says the electro-tinged album sees him experiment with "new ways of recording". 'Lotus Plant', which was previewed on US Radio station Indie 103.1 in December, is said to be a more guitar-based record.

Speaking of 'Elixir', his collaboration with Valente, Prince revealed that the music is "nasty, but it's not dirty". He also compared Valente to Sade.

Prince previewed new song ‘There Will Never B Another 1 Like Me' online on December 22. The track appeared on mplsound.com, although the website is currently inactive.