Starchild & The New Romantic – “All My Lovers”

And, Starchild said unto us, “I look at him as a genre. Within the genre of Prince, there is so much to discover.” Out of the mouth of babes. Has a greater musical truth ever been spoken?

Choose your heroes wisely, as Starchild has, and you too could end up signed to Ghostly and ready to drop your first EP—Crucial—in 2016. Having heaps of talent and friends in Beyoncé-adjacent places doesn’t hurt either. (Starchild was a member of Solange’s touring outfit. He’s also collaborated with Dev Hynes and Patrick Wimberly of Chairlift, if you’re into that kinda thing.)

And, what has Starchild (aka Bryndon Cook) gleaned from his Holiness, the Purple One?

1. Play all the instruments yourself. Check.
2. Never be afraid of your sensual side. Check.
3. Bolero hats (see Parade-era Prince) are a must. Check.

Like his hero, Starchild fears neither slinking synth nor funky bass, but his lyrics tend more towards the sweet and sensitive side of Prince versus the “hide your eyes, ma” action of, say, “Darling Nikki,” “Erotic City,” “Cream,” every Prince song before The Watchtower fell into his tiny, sinful palms, and a handful after that.

While he proudly wears his influences on his sleeve, Starchild’s latest single “All My Lovers” gives us a 21st-century CD-slip effect towards the end. Electro is his friend, and as he develops as an artist, he promises to bring his own perspective to bear on the R&B that raised him.