Writer, producer, and entrepreneur Eloy Lasanta, widely known as YouTube channel host “Prince’s Friend”, has carved out a niche for himself as a Prince Rogers Nelson historian in the entertainment industry’s world of music fandoms. His channel, Prince’s Friend, is also the name he goes by in this community. It has the largest global following on YouTube for its’ subject-matter and is growing at the rate of over 300% annually. With over 570 originally-produced videos so far, the channel has over 3.5 million views. Prince’s Friend works independently of the Prince estate but remains aligned with the overall mission of keeping Prince’s legacy alive through explorations of Prince songs, albums, movies, messaging, estate news, as well as his posthumous celebration events and music releases. Prince’s Friend takes some deep dives into Prince’s career which spanned over five decades and looks closely at all directions of his journey.
Lasanta keeps his YouTube productions fresh to keep viewers engaged. In addition to examining the artist’s extensive catalog of albums song by song, Prince’s Friend also shares music news, hosts trivia games, has live Q&A sessions, conducts interviews with alumni that have worked with Prince, and looks at other artists created or inspired by Prince. Prince’s Friend even highlights other artists from various genres and eras. While sharing his personal thoughts, opinions, and ideas based on his perspective and research, Prince’s Friend also encourages viewers to connect after watching his videos by posting video comments. “I want my channel to be a community and to have conversations,” he explains. “This is how we learn and grow. I am sharing information about the Prince that I have come to know, but we each have our own unique perspective. I love this discussion and it’s why I created this channel after Prince’s passing as a form of grieving and healing. We have to do that together.”
Eloy Lasanta considers himself a student of Prince and has been inspired by his persona and work since the early 90’s. He has modeled his work ethic after Prince in his businesses. This principle is what ties Lasanta’s projects together and keeps him motivated to keep up the volume of his creative output not only in producing YouTube videos, but also in his other endeavors publishing gaming books. Lasanta lives in Florida with his wife and children, but considers Minneapolis, Minnesota his second home staying connected to the Minneapolis Sound music mecca and hometown of Prince.
Most recently, Lasanta visited Minneapolis to attend a launch of photographer Allen Beaulieu and the Minneapolis Historical Society Press’ book Prince: Before the Rain. This 2018 photographic literary release puts into focus the hallmark imagery—including behind-the-scenes, candid, and casual shots—with recollections from photographer Allen Beaulieu on his personal and professional relationship with Prince in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Lasanta was a contributing writer of the book providing the accompanying copy that takes readers deeper into the context of these crucial early years. He joined other contributors including music artist Dez Dickerson who wrote the forward and writer and musician Jim Walsh who shared reminiscences from former bandmates, including Bobby Z., Dez Dickerson, André Cymone, and more.
For additional information about Prince’s Friend and his YouTube channel, contact Kari at (203) 223-0756 or email Kari@PrincesFriend.com.
PRINCE’S FRIEND LINKS
YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/princesfriend
PATREON: http://www.patreon.com/princesfriend
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/PrincesFriendYT
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/PrincesFriendYT/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/princesfriendYT/