The Purple One is making waves from beyond once again.
At this year’s Prince Celebration in Minneapolis, Londell McMillan of Prince Legacy LLC announced some long-awaited news for diehard fans: the vault is finally reopening. A deluxe boxed set of 1985’s Around the World in a Day is in the works. That’s right—the psychedelic masterpiece that followed Purple Rain is getting the royal reissue treatment. Packed with hits like “Raspberry Beret” and “Pop Life,” the album marked a daring creative pivot from the pop-rock perfection of its predecessor, showing Prince at his most unpredictable.
And that’s not all. Vinyl enthusiasts can also prepare their turntables: both of Prince’s final studio albums—Hit n Run Phase One and Hit n Run Phase Two, released in 2015—are slated for long-awaited vinyl releases. These were the last records Prince gave to the world before his passing in 2016, and fans have been clamoring for physical editions ever since.
Adding fuel to the excitement, the estate surprised Celebration attendees with a new acoustic version of “Free,” a gem from 1982’s 1999. It’s a stripped-down, raw take that gives fans a more intimate glimpse into Prince’s creative soul.
Looking ahead, McMillan hinted at what’s next: Parade is on deck for 2026. That means more reissues, likely more rare cuts, and maybe even new vault surprises tied to the album that gave us the iconic “Kiss.”
But as McMillan pointed out, the road to these reissues hasn’t been smooth. With multiple stakeholders—Sony, Warner, Primary Wave, and the estate itself—each with a piece of the puzzle, releasing material takes legal finesse and meticulous planning. “Only about 45% [of the vault] has been digitized,” he revealed, emphasizing the importance of doing it right over doing it fast.
“Pushing too fast will result in releases which are not optimized for Prince’s best legacy,” McMillan said. “We are not genies!”
Still, with box sets, unreleased recordings, and rarities now trickling out, the tide seems to be turning. The purple future is looking brighter than ever.
