Having shed the record company ties that had bound him since 1993, the Purple One held a May 16 press conference at the L.A. Sports Club in New York City to confirm recent rumors that Prince Rogers Nelson was indeed the once and future Prince.

“On Dec. 31, 1999, my publishing contract with Warner-Chappell expired, thus emancipating the name I was given before birth — Prince — from all long-term restrictive documents,” the freshly minted Prince told a crowded news conference.

“I will now go back to using my name instead of the symbol I adopted to free myself from all undesirable relationships,” he said.

With that, the Minneapolis icon kicked off a quirky, hourlong news conference where he made an assortment of announcements – including the weeklong party at Paisley Park dubbed Prince: A Celebration.

As part of the event, his recording studio will be opened for tours June 7-13, with a special Prince concert set for June 13 at Northrup Auditorium in Minneapolis.

A new Prince song, “Cybersingle,” will also be available on his Web site, as well as a modified version of his last album, Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic.

The return to the Prince name ends a seven-year battle between the performer and Warner Bros. Records, which had Prince under contract through the end of last year.

Prince, charging that Warner Bros. exercised too much control over his music, switched his name to a symbol in 1993.

With the contract now over, Prince said he’s confident there are no new names in his future.

“Will I be changing my name ever again?” the 41-year-old diminutive rocker mused. “No, I won’t have to, because I won’t be under any restrictive long-term contract again.”

When a reporter addressed him as Prince, he interrupted: “Hi, Prince. That sounds great. I haven’t heard that in a while.”