(Credit: Alamy)
Sun 8 February 2026 22:00, UK
Despite being six decades deep into the game, the ground for a Kate Bush comeback remains more fertile than ever. Even better: the singer recently revealed that she still has “lots of ideas”, a promising statement that points towards a likely forthcoming reinvention that will no doubt freshen the entire musical landscape.
Looking at the trajectory of Bush’s career, it doesn’t take long to realise how underrated she was in her prime, because when she first emerged onto the scene, people responded to her the same way they do Marmite – you either love her or you hate her, and while many of her innovative peers were responded to in the same way, it does make you wonder: how much of that criticism had to do with the fact that she is a woman?
After all, when you place certain figures beside her, David Bowie, for one, the difference speaks for itself – while Bowie had been branded as a pioneer and someone who shattered boundaries across different styles and genres, Bush was often seen as an outsider, a strange addition to the musical landscape who centred her image and vision on being as weird as possible.
That’s complete rubbish, obviously, but much of what made Bush a revolutionary in her own right was also her ability to completely disregard such scrutiny and keep pushing on, writing music from the heart, and giving her thoughts and experiences a platform. Often, what people saw as “strange” was just Bush shattering the glass ceiling of artistic freedom, venturing beyond her own limitations when women in music were rarely afforded the chance.
Of course, Bush’s audacity also stemmed from observing others with the same level of courage and from those who were unapologetic about their artistic vision, no matter the consequences of such sharp attitudes and stubbornness. Prince was the ringleader when it came to reputations like this, someone who rarely settled for anything less than what he wanted and how he wanted to do it.
After all, there’s that famous anecdote about his ‘no’ rule, one he exercised on every project and was best summarised by an encounter with his former manager, Patrick Whalen, when he’d told him that something he requested couldn’t be done. “He looked me in the eye and said: ‘So what you’re telling me is that in the one second it took for you to say ‘no,’ you left your body and exhausted every possibility?’” said Whalen.
Some called Prince outlandish for such extravagance, but many commended him for it, and those who didn’t soon did anyway when they saw how much his perfectionism paid off on stage. Bush was one of them, and when Prince sadly passed in 2016, she made it her mission to call attention to the genius presence that he was during live performances.
“I am so sad and shocked to hear the tragic news about Prince,” she wrote. “He was the most incredibly talented artist. A man in complete control of his work from writer and musician to producer and director. He was such an inspiration. Playful and mind-blowingly gifted. He was the most inventive and extraordinary live act I’ve seen. The world has lost someone truly magical. Goodnight, dear Prince.”
You can see much of Prince’s fearlessness in Bush’s work, even in the subtler aspects or where she takes her biggest risks, showcasing a level of unapologetic artistry that doesn’t care to appease anybody. If Prince left anything behind, it was his unwavering commitment to artistic expression, no matter the consequence.
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