2016 was a year of profound loss for music, marking the departures of titans Prince, David Bowie, and Leonard Cohen. While the world mourned their absence, a few artists revealed a more personal regret: they had once turned down opportunities to work with Prince, the visionary whose influence permeates every corner of modern music. Among them, three stories stand out, each unique in its reasoning.

1. Gabrielle: A Missed Moment of Nerves

British singer Gabrielle admitted she chickened out when Prince spontaneously invited her on stage during a performance in Abu Dhabi. “Yes, because I’m a scaredy cat,” she confessed. Overwhelmed by awe for Prince and the moment, Gabrielle let the opportunity slip. She now calls it “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” she wishes she could relive, reflecting on how fear can rob even the most talented artists of unforgettable experiences.

2. Danny Elfman: Choosing Creative Integrity Over Fame
Composer Danny Elfman turned down Prince’s offer to co-write the score for the 1989 Batman film. Elfman explained that while Prince’s genius was unquestionable, collaborating would have constrained the score’s direction. “I would end up being a glorified orchestrator, not a composer,” he said. While professionally defensible, many fans now wonder how Prince’s involvement might have transformed the film into a cinematic masterpiece.

3. Shania Twain: Timing, Life, and Ironic Circumstance
Perhaps the most poignant story comes from Shania Twain, whose personal life intersected with Prince’s offer. Following her divorce, Prince called, inviting her to Paisley Park: “Shania, why don’t you come to Paisley Park? I want to make the next Rumours album with you.” Twain recalls pausing, overwhelmed by the irony of the timing: “I’m not even divorced yet… I’ve been dumped, but I’m not, obviously, divorced yet. I’m like, this is way too ironic.”

Twain, a devoted Prince fan, parked the idea for the future, only for fate to intervene. Eight years later, Prince passed away, leaving her and fans to mourn a collaboration that might have been. “I don’t think I was ready for what all that was going to mean for me. I didn’t give up on it or anything, but then he died,” she reflected, leaving the music world imagining the album that never existed.

A Legacy of “What Could Have Been”
These three stories illustrate the complex interplay of fear, creative vision, and life’s timing. While fans celebrate Prince’s indelible contributions, they also mourn the lost moments of brilliance that could have reshaped music history — a reminder that even legends leave doors unopened, and sometimes, the music we never hear is as haunting as the music we do.