Vanity 6

Vanity 6

Artist

Vanity 6 were a short-lived female vocal trio that came out of Prince’s funk-rock empire and assembled in 1981. Vanity 6 were formed in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis, where singer/actress Vanity (whose real name was Denise Matthews) got together with fellow singers Brenda Bennett and Susan Moonsie. Backed by The Time, Vanity 6 recorded their self-titled debut album, released in 1982 by Warner Bros. The single “Nasty Girl” became a major hit, and like Prince’s albums, Vanity 6 successfully bridged the gap between R&B/funk and rock/pop/new wave. Vanity 6’s first album was also their last; in late 1983, Vanity left the group and signed with Motown as a solo artist. Moonsie and Bennett, meanwhile, hooked up with singer Apollonia (another Prince disciple) and formed a new group called Apollonia 6.