Prince announces last-minute gigs in Paris

PARIS - Global music star Prince has announced two last-minute gigs in Paris's Zenith arena on Sunday as part of his "hit and run" mini-tour.

The Minneapolis-born singer took French fans by surprise when tickets for the concerts went on sale Wednesday for between 77 and 143 euros (S$130-S$245), only two days after his arrival in the capital.

But Prince followers have become accustomed to his habit of announcing concerts at short notice.

The 55-year-old artist caused a wave of madness in London earlier this year when he put on several surprise gigs, announced only a few hours ahead of time, with tickets selling for as little as £10 (S$20).

Since mid-May, the singer of hits such as "Purple Rain" has played last-minute gigs in Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds, Amsterdam and Anvers.

After Paris, he is due to play in Berlin on June 3 and Vienna four days later.

Fans can expect relatively brief shows of around two hours, mixing long improvisations, old hits and new tunes.

On stage, Prince will be accompanied by all-female group 3RDEYEGIRL, consisting of guitarist Donna Grantis, the drummer Hannah Ford Welton and bassist Ida Nielsen.

His new album, "PLECTRUMELECTRUM", is expected to be released in the coming months after Prince reconciled with Warner Music in April following several years without a label.