The Dawn is an unreleased album by , and was mentioned in late 1996 interviews primarily designed to promote Emancipation, most likely planned for release in 1997.
Many of the tracks planned for inclusion on the 1993 project also titled The Dawn had since been released on Come, The Gold Experience and Chaos And Disorder, therefore it is not clear what tracks had planned for this album, or whether it was still planned as a 3 CD set (which Emancipation was, and which his next album, Crystal Ball, would also turn out to be).
Given Prince’s history of using the term "the dawn" as a milestone or a finishing point (often writing "May U live 2 see the dawn" at the end of album or movie credits), it appeared that he viewed this as an important piece of work; his magnum opus (in the same way he has often used the term "the grand progression)". It is possible, although unverified, that The Dawn, in one form or another, was a project Prince continued to return to over time.
The only tracks assumed to have been included on the 1996-7 rendition of The Dawn were Welcome 2 The Dawn (an acoustic version of which was released on The Truth, and which appeared on a single for The Holy River, with the artwork noting "from the 4thcoming album The Dawn"), and The Most Beautiful Girl In The World (Mustang Mix '96).
No other information about the album is known.
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