Actress Carmen Electra has taken steps to officially change her name from Tara Leigh Patrick, the name she was born with, to the well-known moniker she adopted under the guidance of the late singer Prince.
The 51-year-old Baywatch star filed legal documents on Dec. 29. She is seeking approval to use her stage name on all official government documents and important paperwork.
How Carmen Electra First Got Her Name
Reports from RadarOnline.com reveal that Carmen first crossed paths with Prince when she auditioned for a female group he was assembling. Although she wasn’t selected for the group, Prince surprised her with a phone call later. He offered to provide a song she had written. However, he insisted that she change her name to “Carmen Electra.”
Recalling the conversation with Prince, Carmen said “I received a call from Prince saying I think you should be your own artist and not back up anyone else. I’m going to write you a song, and if you like it, you can record it. The name of the song was ‘Carmen on Top.’ My name is Tara, so I was confused. I loved the song. I loved it, but he said, ‘You’re not a Tara. You’re not Tara. You’re Carmen.'”
Electra willingly embraced Prince’s influence, acknowledging that he had control over various aspects of her life, including her clothing, music, and hairstyles. Despite the challenges, she admired his genius in those areas.
Carmen and Prince had a romantic relationship, but they eventually parted ways in the early 1990s due to differences in where they wanted to live. Carmen chose to stay in Los Angeles, while Prince urged her to return to Minnesota.
Explaining the decision, Carmen said, “I told him I wanted to live in LA, and he spent as much time here as he did in Minnesota. He wanted me to move back to Minnesota, and I said no. I broke it off with him and stayed in LA.”
Even after their breakup, Carmen remained connected to Prince, as he hired her to dance at his club in LA. Reflecting on that period, she shared, “I wasn’t his girlfriend anymore, but I was one of his girls. This was after we split.”