Ida Nielsen, Hannah Ford and Donna Grantis of the band 3rdEyeGirl are shown in a handout photo. Grantis has become a mainstay of two bands conceived by Prince, one of which ‚"3rdEyeGirl ‚" released its debut album, with a big help from the chameleonic Minneapolis legend, this week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO

TORONTO - Donna Grantis grew up in the bustling suburb of Mississauga, Ont., and polished her considerable guitar chops at McGill University — but now she has two feet firmly planted on Planet Prince.

She remembers the first time she was reeled into the pop icon's orbit: she received an innocuous email asking if she wanted to come to Prince's famed Minnesota studio Paisley Park to jam. A phone call soon followed with a short list of songs to learn.

Naturally, she was skeptical. But then a ticket arrived for a one-way flight.

Her fortune didn't necessarily become easier to believe upon arrival — if anything, the sense of surreal fantasy was only heightened when the chameleonic pop star walked into the room, introduced himself, and they started playing.

It's been nearly two years now since Grantis was made a member of both Prince's dexterous backing band and the all-female trio he masterminded, 3rdEyeGirl.

But no one really gets used to playing with Prince.

"Every time we play a song, anything can happen at any time," Grantis relayed in a recent telephone interview. "Prince is a master bandleader, so we've learned to really follow him. He could break down songs at any time. He could cue a solo to anybody. We could start off with a setlist but I don't think we've ever played a gig where we've followed it.

"He plays a song and we just have to jump in. Sometimes he'll even just play something we've never done before, like a groove, and we have to react.

"We're prepared for anything onstage."

This week, the Purple One spearheaded the release of two albums: "Art Official Age," a solo disc from the multi-instrumental, multi-genre master; and "Plectrumelectrum," a groove-heavy record performed by 3rdEyeGirl but written and produced by Prince.

Grantis caught up with The Canadian Press to discuss the records and help to settle some of the myths surrounding her legendary leader.

CP: You're entered into a guitar-solo sparring match with Prince at the end of the new tune "Anotherlove" on "Plectrumelectrum." What was that like?

Grantis: It was like 4 in the morning one night when we played the track all together. And I was playing the rhythm guitar part and I knew at the end that that whole long jam-out section was going to be a massive, epic solo. And Prince asked me if I wanted to record the solo right there on the spot or the next day. And I thought, "OK, I'd like to record this tomorrow because I thought it'll give me some time to come up with some soloing concepts, try out some different ideas, maybe work out a few things." And he said: "OK. Let's do it now." (laughs)

Prince has this way of just pulling out the best in everyone he works with. Maybe it's the adrenaline rush or the great sense of urgency behind it. But I'm really proud of that part. And the end solo features both Prince and I trading guitar parts every four bars. It's really cool.

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CP: I know he can call up any tune he wants in a live setting. Do you know how many songs you've learned since you joined his bands?

Grantis: No I don't — I've lost track. I know it's in the hundreds.

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CP: I want to fact-check some of the rumours I've heard about working with Prince. I've read about 12-hour jam sessions. I guess you don't get a ton of sleep working with Prince?

Grantis: No, you don't. Sleep's overrated.

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CP: Is it true you play a ton of ping pong together?

Grantis: We do play a ton of ping pong and it's pretty intense. But he is an exceptional ping pong player. And I guess from the first time we all joined the band to now, our ping pong skills have just skyrocketed.

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CP: And I heard he sends the band funny, short emails?

Grantis: We totally pass on messages by email. Yeah, he's got a great sense of humour.

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CP: You're joined in 3rdEyeGirl by Hannah Ford and Ida Nielsen. It's not the first time he's assembled an all-female group. What do you think motivates him to do that?

Grantis: I think he likes the energy we bring to the table. I've heard him say that he admires the strength in working with women. And I think it's just so cool to have a balance of male and female energy in a band — and in anything for that matter.

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CP: He's famous for playing "secret" club shows the same night as big arena workouts. How far in advance do you find out the second show is going on?

Grantis: Maybe a couple hours beforehand? It is funny because when were in the U.K. we did a "Hit n Run" tour. We were there for about a month and we just played popup shows that were announced on super short notice. And sometimes we found out about those gigs through Twitter, through fans posting messages.

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CP: You studied jazz in school. Where did you see your career ending up?

Grantis: I absolutely dreamed of this. People asked me, "if you could play with anyone, who would it be?" And my answer was always Prince. He has a reputation of just playing with the greatest musicians on the planet. And I thought it would be just such a privilege and honour to study and play music with him. So it was always something I hoped for. And it's amazing that the dream came true.

— Follow @CP_Patch on Twitter.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2014