With the announcement that Kamala Harris will be the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Joe Biden has selected a running mate with eight years experience as a district attorney, nearly four years experience in the senate and a lifetime devotion to Prince.

Harris’ love of the Purple One goes back to her formative years. According to the Mercury News, the future politician was part of a dance troupe in high school. The group regularly performed at local community centers and senior citizen homes, and Harris was sure to include Prince tunes in their shows.

The fandom continued into college. Harris attended Howard University in the early ‘80s, a tenure which coincided with the release of Prince’s seminal film and soundtrack, Purple Rain. Like many people, Harris was swept up by the Purple Rain phenomenon, an experience which left a lasting impact. Decades later, the senator would list the title track as her favorite song from a movie during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Like fans all over the world, Harris was crushed by the sudden death of Prince in 2016. “The night he died, she said that she and her husband turned on Prince music, played it in the backyard, and she’s like, ‘We just danced to the Prince music for hours,’” Harris’ friend and campaign consultant, Debbie Mesloh, told KPIX in 2019. “She loved, loved Prince.”

When the New York Times ran a piece in early 2019 examining the personal playlists of Democratic presidential hopefuls, Harris was sure to include Prince in her submission. The senator’s playlist included the song “Kiss,” the Purple One’s hit single from 1986.

Harris credits her musical tastes to her mother, mentioning to MSNBC that Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin were regularly played in her childhood home. The politician also made clear the importance of music, declaring that people need to, “Find the time to dance. Find the time to whistle and sing and bop your head.”

 

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