Rosie Gaines was born Rosemary Gaines on June 26, 1960, in Pittsburg, California. She began her musical journey as part of a family funk/soul group called Unity, playing organ alongside her brother Carl on bass guitar and cousin Lacy on guitar. This early experience laid the foundation for her career in music.
Rosie Gaines' breakthrough came when she joined Prince's band The New Power Generation (NPG) in 1990. Her first appearance with NPG was on Graffiti Bridge, contributing vocals to tracks like "New Power Generation." She also performed on the album Diamonds and Pearls, including the hit singles "Gett Off", "Cream" and "Diamonds and Pearls." Following her tenure with Prince, Rosie Gaines released several solo albums. Her 1995 album Closer Than Close included the successful single "I Want U"; a remix of "Closer than Close" became a UK Top 10 hit in 1997. In 2006, she released the album Welcome to My World. Throughout her career, Rosie Gaines has also contributed to various soundtracks and collaborations, including work with Tevin Campbell on "I2I" featured in the Disney movie A Goofy Movie.