Prince plans 'unconventional' memoir

Prince, one of the most influential but elusive figures in music, on Friday announced a memoir and, in less of a surprise, his publisher said it would be "unconventional."

The 57-year-old "Kid from Minneapolis" will release his first book, whose title has not been revealed, in late 2017, publisher Spiegel and Grau said.

The Random House imprint said that Prince's book would be "an unconventional and poetic journey" through the life and music of the Purple One.

"Prince is a towering figure in global culture and his music has been the soundtrack for untold numbers of people -- including me -- for more than a generation; his creative genius has provided the musical landscape of our lives," executive editor Christopher Jackson said in a statement.

"Millions of words have been written about Prince -- books and articles, essays and criticism -- but we're thrilled to be publishing Prince's powerful reflections on his own life in his own incandescently vivid, witty and poetic voice," he said.

Jackson is best known for editing "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates, a personal reflection on the history of racism in the United States that won the National Book Award.

Prince became an international sensation in the 1980s as he popularized the Minneapolis Sound of danceable funk, with 1984's "Purple Rain" often described as one of the greatest albums of all time.

"Purple Rain" was accompanied by a semi-autobiographical film but Prince has been famously private when discussing himself, insisting that any reporters he meets not only put away recorders but also notebooks.

The artist, who was born as Prince Nelson, continues to live in the outskirts of Minneapolis, where he throws parties and preserves master vaults at his Paisley Park studio.

He remains prolific and has recently embraced streaming, believing that online technology will give him greater artistic freedom.

Prince in the 1990s changed his name to an unpronounceable "love symbol" and wrote "slave" on his cheek to protest contractual conditions by his label Warner.

Best known as a guitarist, singer and dancer, Prince recently put on concerts at Paisley Park and in Australia in which he performed alone with a piano, saying he wanted a new artistic challenge.