DaniLeigh Reveals How Working With Prince Made Her ‘Believe In Myself More’ (Exclusive)

The R&B singer revealed she felt ‘pressure’ for her music to be great while working with the iconic singer early in her career in an exclusive interview with HollywoodLife.

DaniLeigh had one of the best mentors any musician could have at the start of her career: Prince. The “Tasty” singer, 28, revealed that working with the late icon helped her feel more confident in her music early in her career, while speaking with HollywoodLife about Smirnoff Ice’s Relaunch Tour.

Long before DaniLeigh was releasing music of her own, she was tapped by the “Purple Rain” singer to direct the 2013 music video for his song “Breakfast Can Wait,” per Pitchfork. The music video was DaniLeigh’s directing debut, but it led to a beautiful friendship between herself and Prince. She went on to run his Instagram (or “Princestagram” as she called it in a July 2022 appearance on The Breakfast Club). DaniLeigh tells HL that being close to the Purple One “definitely inspired” her. “It got me to work harder, to believe more in myself, to be in my business. He taught me a lot,” she said.

DaniLeigh also revealed when she showed Prince her cover of “D.O.S.E.” by Bryson Tiller, he told her, “You need to make sure your music is just as good as this song.” She recalled, “So you know it’s a little bit of pressure showing him music but it definitely made me believe in myself gain my confidence and just keep going.”

With Prince as her mentor, DaniLeigh was one of many stars who the “1999” hitmaker took under his wing. Some of his other proteges include his longtime drummer Sheila E., the girl group Vanity 6, and even Janelle Monae. As the late singer was very selective about who he worked with, it’s clearly an honor. “[Prince] doesn’t do a lot of collaborations, let alone let people produce him,” Janelle explained to The New York Post in a 2013 interview. “But he wanted me to be in control of the mixing and mastering and editing. The trust he’s given me means a lot.”

While Prince may have been one of the first major superstars that DaniLeigh got to work with, he wasn’t the last. She admitted in a July 2022 interview with Big Boy TV that she wanted to collaborate with a “legend,” naming Usher, Ciara, and Beyonce as dream collabs, and recently, it was revealed that she did get to work with Queen B. DaniLeigh has been credited with “additional choreography” on Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour, which she knows is an amazing opportunity.  “It was so fun,” she said. “I couldn’t even believe I got the call. Like I was just surprised. Oh my god, we were working on it for like a month and a half.” Even though getting to work on the tour was a dream come true, DaniLeigh said she “definitely would love to do a song” with Beyonce.

While she’s still hoping to make music with Bey, DaniLeigh did reveal that she plans to release two new singles before dropping her next album in August. Ahead of the release, she did drop her “raw and sexy” R&B number “Tasty” at the end of April. The song is perfect for hot summer nights, and the singer admitted that she’s been loving the reaction to it. “I really want to go in on my dancing this year,” she said. “I wanted my people and fans to feel good about themselves. So just empowering them just encouraging people to dance. The dance videos that I see people doing to [the song], it’s just so cool to see, because I’m like ‘Hey, look at her and her bag.’ Like just feeling herself. That’s what I wanted with this record.”

Speaking of “Tasty,” it’s fitting that she’s partnered with Smirnoff Ice for the drink’s “Relaunch Tour.” DaniLeigh admitted that she’s a fan of the original Smirnoff Ice with no sugar. “It’s great packaging. It tastes really good. Real tasty like my new single,” she said. As part of the Smirnoff Ice Relaunch Tour, she promises “energy” and a great time for anyone who comes out. “I feel like the show is really good and we worked really hard in rehearsal. It just flows. It has a lot of moments. I have a couple of outfit changes, hair changes. So I’m really excited to be kicking off the tour,” she said.

As Smirnoff Ice will set out on its Relaunch Tour through the summer, with performances from June to August, DaniLeigh showed that it’s the perfect beverage for the summer. “We’re about to have a good time,” she said. “Enjoy Smirnoff Ice and just vibe and have good energy and celebrating the relaunch.”

Find out how you can raise a Smirnoff Ice on the Relaunch Tour here and keep up with DaniLeigh’s new music and tour dates on her website.