It happened around late 1979 through all of 1980, so I'll just say 40 years from this very minute!

I've been a fan since 2003

Since the "1999" album. As much as I dug Prince then, I thought that Dez was the coolest dude on the planet.

Since 1979. Saw him sing "I Want to be Your Lover" on the Midnight Special TV show. Crazy...

MIInsane said:

Since the "1999" album.

Same. Hated "Little Red Corvette" hearing it on MPLS classic rock KQRS.

But then I heard "Let's Pretend We're Married" and I was hooked for life.

Since LoveSexy

MIInsane said:

First Prince purchase (Batdance), 1989, the week I turned 10.

After buying several albums and singles over the years, hardcore fandom started in early 1997 with Emancipation, aged 17.

Since 1985.

RodeoSchro said:

I still have my original "Soft and Wet" bought when it was released but my major leap into Prince came in 1983.

Did you go to the Houston concert that came with the 1999 Deluxe set ?

1984, after hearing When Doves Cry, which is still one of my favorite Prince songs of all time, or best song ever ,period.

Still liked him in 1985 when ATWIAD came out but he kind of lost me around 1988 or maybe even a bit earlier because I was way too deep into HipHop and the whole movement back then and Prince had become a huge pop phenomenon at that point. The Batman soundtrack and everything that came with that era turned me off even more until a friend of mine made me a couple of mixtapes that contained rare songs and bootleg material, and I was hooked again and appreciated his late 80s stuff, too. But it still took me an eternity to appreciate the Batman era and album.

So....fan since 84 but really hardcore fan since the early 90s. Basically after the Graffiti Bridge and Batman phase ended.

Still have those mixtapes and even my very first cassettes from 1984, and I remember seeing him on Solid Gold singing Little Red Corvette, which I also liked back then, at the age of 12.

since 1980.It's the Dirty Mind album that turned me into a fan.

Officially since 1992 but heard his music as early as 1987 when I was 6 with songs from SOTT and the Time's Ice Cream Castle. What is weird I have no idea he sung You Got the Look when I heard it and that he had a huge hand with Ice Cream Castle until years later.

Prince is so amazing.

6 years.

IanRG said:

1979/80 - About as early as possible in Australia and this was only through after midnight music shows

^Man, I really miss those midnight music shows like "after dark" and "rock arena" where they would play those adults only videos like "Girls on Film" and Automatic

'84. WDC BLEW. ME. AWAY.

37ish years and counting

Since 2009, it was the start of my senior year.

I've been a fan since early 1983 when a babysitter let me watch MTV and I saw the LITTLE RED CORVETTE video... Totally rocked me! The mystery and magic and melody and urgency... Fromt that moment I was HOOKED.

I think it was the first time I heard International Lover.

soladeo1 said:

I've been a fan since early 1983 when a babysitter let me watch MTV and I saw the LITTLE RED CORVETTE video... Totally rocked me! The mystery and magic and melody and urgency... Fromt that moment I was HOOKED.

Your babysitter rocks!

Since 91 when as a 15 year old I saw the Gett Off video. Got the D&P album on cassette copy from a girl in school and hooked since then.

.

Funnily enough I'd earlier really liked Chaka's I Feel For You and Sinead O'Connors Nothing Compares 2 U without knowing they were P songs

dodger said:

Since 91 when as a 15 year old I saw the Gett Off video. Got the D&P album on cassette copy from a girl in school and hooked since then.

.

Funnily enough I'd earlier really liked Chaka's I Feel For You and Sinead O'Connors Nothing Compares 2 U without knowing they were P songs

91 was the summer we got cable, and Gett Off was on heavy rotation on MTV. As a 12 year old, that video was a revelation

Since 1982