America’s smallest import is back. Prince was one of three pop icons of the 1980s (the others being Madonna and Michael Jackson). He has hinted that he will play at tonight’s Brit Awards. The tiny, eccentric genius from Minneapolis is releasing a new album, 3121, on March 21. If successful, it will confirm the return to form of the 47-year-old artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.

It can’t do much worse than Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999), which sold 5,000 copies in the UK. However, his last album, Musicology (2004), earned him two Grammy nominations and 6 million sales. The accompanying tour was the most profitable in the industry that year.

Prince Rogers Nelson was one of nine children. His father John, a jazz musician, took him on the road when he was five: “From then on, I wanted to be a musician.” Yet according to Prince’s sister Lorna, John threw Prince out aged 12 after he “caught him in bed with a girl”. Prince has said: “When I was 11 I had a girlfriend who was 17. She was very advanced sexually, and that’s the way I liked it. ”

A prodigiously talented musician from an early age, Prince was snapped up by Warner Bros in 1977. He released a stream of critically acclaimed R&B records before hitting the big time in 1982 with 1999, a ground-breaking fusion of rock, soul and funk. This was followed by a string of global hits including Sign O’ the Times and Purple Rain.

Prince’s live shows were famous for his provocative, camp outfits. One particular underwear-and-trenchcoat ensemble proved unpopular in 1980, when he was pelted with rubbish and booed off stage. In 1993, Prince fell out with Warner Bros and changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol to sever his links with his past. His career stagnated. He retreated to his studio and in 1996 married a dancer, Mayte Garcia, only to divorce after the death of their baby son. In 2001, he married a fan-turned-employee, Manuela Testolini, and became a Jehovah’s Witness at the request of his dying mother.

Stories abound of Prince, in satin suit and stacked heels, surrounded by bodyguards, knocking on doors to enquire: “Would you like to talk about Jesus?” In a recent TV interview, he refused to answer any non-religious questions, saying: “If we can focus on Jesus, this chaos will cease.” It’s all quite a departure from the writer of some of the most sexually explicit pop lyrics ever published. If he deigns to appear at the Brits tonight, we can be sure it won’t be dull.