Ida Nielsen

IDA NIELSEN ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE PRINCE CELEBRATION FOR 2026
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Marking the 10th anniversary of Prince’s passing

‍In 2026, ten years after the passing of Prince, former Prince bassist Ida Nielsen will present a special, carefully curated live celebration honoring the legacy of one of the most influential artists in modern music history.

Ida Nielsen was not only a member of Prince’s band — she was a central musical force during his final creative years, performing worldwide as part of The New Power Generation and 3RDEYEGIRL. Her time on stage and in the studio with Prince gives her a uniquely authentic connection to the music and its spirit.

This anniversary project is not conceived as a tribute show in the traditional sense. Instead, it is a musical reflection from within — led by an artist who experienced Prince’s creative process first-hand.

For this rare occasion, Ida Nielsen will invite selected special guests from the extended Prince universe (acclaimed vocalist Liv Warfield, Shelby J etc subject to availability). The project will be available for a limited number of European summer festivals in 2026.

Due to its personal nature and international guest constellation, the production will only be presented on select stages.
This is a unique opportunity to experience Prince’s music interpreted by musicians who shared his stage, his vision and his musical intensity.

It was in August of 2010 that the Danish bassist received a call at her home in Copenhagen from The Purple One himself to come to Paisley Park to jam with him. It turned out to be a kind of informal audition; one that Ida passed with flying colors. As she recalled,“Prince’s manager at the time called me and said that he saw my Myspace profile and would like to jam with me. And then she told me that she would call me back. And when two weeks went by without a call, I totally thought it was a prank. All my friends knew it was my biggest dream to play with Prince so I almost did not dare to believe it in the first place. But eventually she did call me back. And, of course, that whole ride was life changing in so many ways.” She added, “I was an all-round bass player before I joined Prince in2010, but my heart was always with the funk. I just love it so much. And Ithink this is what got me the NPG gig in the first place.”

Aside from Prince, whom she toured with from 2010 until his premature departure in 2016, Nielsen has cited such bassists as Marcus Miller, Mark King, Larry Graham, Bootsy Collins and Victor Wooten as her slap bass role models.

Born in the small Denmark town of Aarhus, Ida began singing in the school choir before picking up the bass at age 16. She spent most of the 90s studying at the Royal Danish Academy of Music before joining a number of bands in and out of college. She toured Europe with the Belgian pop group Michael Learns To Rock and was later hired as touring bassist with the Belgian-African band Zap Mama, founded by Zaire native Marie Daulne. Nielsen released her debut as a leader, 2008’s groove-laden Marmalade, under the name Bassida. It introduced her funky signature, which would later manifest on her second solo album, 2011’s Sometimes a Girl Needs Some Sugar Too, aswell on 2016’s TurnItUp, 2019’s Time 2 Stop Worrying and 2020’s02022020. ‍

In 2014, Nielsen played alongside Prince, guitarist Donna Grantis and drummer Hannah Welton on 3rd Eye Girl’s Plectrum Electrum. She last performed with Prince at an exclusive, celebrity-studded New Year’s Eve bash on Jan. 1, 2016. As she told Music Radar: “I realize that there’s a lot of Prince fans out there that want to support me. I really appreciate that, and I really appreciate that they still love the funk.”

Ida was voted amongst the top 10 bass players in the world.

Ida is currently working on her new live album to be released in 2026.

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