Xpectation
Xpectation is the twenty-sixth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on January 1, 2003 by NPG Records. The album is the first instrumental album released under Prince's own name. It was released as an mp3 download on New Year's Day, 2003 to members of the NPG Music Club with no formal artwork, only two weeks after the commercial release of his previous album One Nite Alone... Live!
In 2004, it was released through the NPG Music Club's Musicology Download Store. A digital lossless version was made available through music streaming service Tidal in September 2015. There has been no wider retail release.
The album was originally intended to be called Xenophobia. For unknown reasons the intended title track was omitted from the album which explains the album's name change. The track "Xenophobia" was one of the songs performed on his 2002 One Nite Alone... Tour and was included on the One Nite Alone... Live! album. So therefore only live versions of "Xenophobia" are known, although a brief sample of the studio version was streamed on the NPG Music Club website in 2001. NPG Music Club had previously advertised the album as one of the "4 CDs" club members would receive in the mail during 2002 for their paid $100 subscription fee.
