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Liv Warfield and NPG Horns, close Prince associates, to play Jimmy Kimmel

by Brenda Tran

February 25, 2015

Tomorrow night, Feb. 26, Liv Warfield and the NPG Horns are set to play Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Fans of Minnesota music, and of Prince specifically, are familiar with Warfield. The Prince protégé regularly joins Prince on stage, including at a recent Wall Street concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of Nike's Jordan sneakers.

Warfield got her start in Portland, where she collaborated with local musicians and established herself as "Portland's most soulful singer," according to Portland Monthly. In 2006, she released her debut album Embrace Me.

A pivotal point in her career occurred in 2009, when she sent Prince a link to a YouTube video of her cover of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and was surprised to be called to Paisley Park—where she has become a regular visitor. Since then, she has toured with Prince, released her sophomore album The Unexpected (executive produced by Prince), and was nominated for three 2014 Soul Train Music Awards.

The New Power Generation debuted live during Prince's "Nude Tour" in 1990 and on record on Prince's Diamonds and Pearls (1991). NPG is Prince's enterprise but is also an independent group that has its own singers and does its own shows.

Talking to The Current's Jill Riley and Steve Seel last year, Warfield explained, "We are a collective. We kind of want to bring it back to the days of Motown, when we are all supporting each other."

Kimmel also recently welcomed Purple Rain co-stars the Time, who joined with America's hottest indie sister act to perform as "Morris Day and the Haim."

Warfield's performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! will air tomorrow night; the episode begins at 10:35 CST. Listen to her interview with Jill Riley and Steve Seel here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK-tT8KBMtE

Brenda Tran is a student at the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities.

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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.