Vanity 6

Vanity 6
Left to right: Brenda Bennett, Vanity, and Susan Moonsie; 1983.
Background information
Origin	Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres	R&B Pop funk rock synthpop
Years active	1981–1983
Labels	Warner Bros.
Associated acts	Prince The Revolution The Time Apollonia 6
Past members	Vanity (deceased) Brenda Bennett Susan Moonsie

Vanity 6 was an American female vocal trio assembled by American musician Prince in mid–1981.

In 1981, Prince, himself a rising musical star, suggested that his three female friends—his girlfriend Susan Moonsie, Boston native Brenda Bennett, and Jamie Shoop form a girl group that would be called "The Hookers". Prince's vision was that the three women would perform in lingerie and sing sensual songs with lyrics about sex and fantasy. Prince had been wanting to mentor a girl singer or group since the late–1970s when he saw the film A Star is Born with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.

The original trio recorded a few demos before Prince met the then named Denise Matthews, a model and Canadian B movie actress, in January 1980. Prince was so taken by her charisma that he decided she would be the perfect frontwoman for his "Hookers" project. Matthews was eventually re-christened Vanity. Prince had originally suggested that she use the stage name "Vagina," but instead they agreed upon "Vanity." Other versions of the story suggest that it was Prince himself who coined the name "Vanity," as he said that looking at her was like looking in a mirror at the female version of himself. Around this time, Prince and Vanity began a romantic relationship. With Vanity's arrival, Shoop was dropped from the group.

With the new trio finalized, Prince renamed the group Vanity 6 (the number representing the group's breast count). He provided the group, now dressed in lingerie and high heels, with provocative songs (although within the album credits, group members were sometimes given sole writing credits). Their first single, "He's So Dull", was a minor hit in Australia and the Netherlands, and appeared in the film National Lampoon's Vacation. The second single, "Nasty Girl", was a hit on both the U.S. R&B chart peaking at number 7, and U.S. Dance chart (where it hit number one), and it also made an appearance on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. "Nasty Girl" was a top 10 hit in the Netherlands, and a top 20 hit in the Flanders region of Belgium. The song was featured in the film Beverly Hills Cop, although it was not included on the soundtrack. "Nasty Girl" was also featured in the 1983 sex-comedy Private School. During the group's existence, members sometimes provided backing vocals on Prince's albums.