It looks like that new Prince music isn’t coming after all, and here’s why

While it’s release was only announced yesterday (April 19th), it seems that the new EP of Prince songs isn’t being released.

The surprise news only arrived yesterday when it was revealed that a new collection of six Prince songs were to be released on Friday, a year after the singer’s sad passing.

The move came after Prince’s back catalogue finally made it’s way onto streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify, with it also being previously revealed this year that Prince’s musical vault at his creative institution, Paisley Park, had been opened. Indeed, Prince’s estate said that Universal Music Group would release both his music after 1995 and the projects in the vault that were never circulated.

Now it’s been reported that Prince’s estate is blocking the release of the new surprise EP, Deliverance.

The EP was being put together by Prince’s longtime collaborator, Ian Boxill, and it seems without the consent of Prince’s estate. Indeed, both Paisley Park and Prince’s estate have sued Boxill to prevent the EP’s release, with the collection disappearing from iTunes, Apple Music, Google Play, and Amazon.

According to TMZ, both Paisley Park and the singer’s estate have suggested that the release of Boxill’s Deliverance EP could cause permanent and irreparable damage to the artist’s legacy, with legal documents stating that Boxill had signed a confidentiality document that stipulated that any work done “would remain Prince’s sole and exclusive property.” 

According to the lawsuit filed, the singer’s estate has argued that they requested that Boxill return the new music last month, something he didn’t comply with.

“Mr. Boxill maintained copies of certain tracks, waited until after Prince’s tragic death, and is now attempting to release tracks without the authorization of the estate and in violation of the agreement and applicable law,” the estate said in a statement.

Despite the lawsuit and  major streaming services and retailers pulling the product, the EP is still available to download on the website PrinceRogersNelson.com.

An official re-release of Purple Rain, meanwhile, is expected for release on June 9th.