Sheila E. became a solo artist in 1984 with her debut album The Glamorous Life. The lead single was written by Prince and he co-produced the song with her six years after they met and he told her she would one day join his band. “The Glamorous Life” gave Sheila E. a chance to share her singing voice and enter pop culture. The lyrics about the worthlessness of luxury without love went against the grain of avid materialism in American society at the time. The song was a hit and garnered Sheila E. Grammy and MTV Award nominations. She became an inspiration for a lot of women who had never seen a woman bandleader. Sheila E. continued to work with Prince throughout the years until his 2016 passing. She has released eight studio albums and worked with many artists starting out with the George Duke band in the ’70s to appearing on Gary Clark Jr.’s 2019 album This Land. In the spring of 2020, she released her current single “Lemon Cake” which was inspired by Prince. During the summer she collaborated with MasterClass to teach drumming and percussion.Â
