When Faith and Music Intersect: the Spiritual Evolution of a Musical Genius

Over the course of Prince’s legendary career, there were some clear points of transition—points where his faith and musical genius intersected. Prince’s music often reflected his spiritual journey, and despite his conversion to the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the late 90s and early 2000s, he could never entirely shake the sexuality and sensuality he was known and loved for in the mainstream. In a way that worked, Prince found ways to merge his spiritual seeking with his sexual expressions in the music. This essay argues that while some in society, particularly legalists across many faiths, may attempt to categorize Prince’s wrestlings as a contradiction, in truth, this duality of his represents the way many artists—Black artists, in particular—reconcile the nuances of their creative work with any faith traditions or spiritual beliefs they may have. In the end, these beautiful complexities were a critical part of Prince’s spiritual and artistic evolution.