Vanity (performer)

Vanity was the stage name used by singer/actress Denise Katrina Matthews (born on January 4, 1959 in Niagara Falls, Ontario).

Matthews was a six foot tall nude model and Canadian B-Movie actress, appearing in movies such as Tanya's Island and Terror Train. She met Prince in 1982. He re-named her Vanity (saying he saw his female reflection when he looked at her) and she became the lead singer of singing group, Vanity 6, that same year. Prince produced the group's biggest hit "Nasty Girl". Their trademark was explicit sexuality in their lyrics, performances and attire. After one album, Vanity decided to leave her role in Vanity 6 and the proposed film Purple Rain in 1983. Vanity signed a lucrative record deal with Motown Records in 1984. She recorded two albums Wild Animal and Skin On Skin. She also starred in a handful of movies, including The Last Dragon and Action Jackson.

After a bout with drugs and kidney failure, Vanity gave up her stage name and became a born-again Christian and evangelist in the mid 1990s. She currently resides in California.