WASHINGTON (AFP) - Pop funk icon Prince tempted eager fans on Thursday by releasing a single, Stare, ahead of a new album expected later this year.

The ultra-funky track was released exclusively on the online streaming service Spotify.

The three-minute-44-second tune offers fans just what they would expect from Prince: guitar, brass, choir and some high-pitched "wows".

The song also features an impossible-to-miss reference to his 1986 smash hit Kiss. "Stare. Can I get a kiss," he chimes, to an unmistakeable guitar riff from one of his best-known tracks.

This is the second single from his upcoming The Hit And Run Album, which features the all-female trio 3rdEyeGirl.

The threesome released details of the album last week, calling it "super-experimental". The first single, Hardrocklover, packs the same punch of funk as Stare. The Hit And Run Album was written by Prince with Joshua Welton, who is married to 3rdEyeGirl member Welton and who co-produced Prince's 2014 solo album, Art Official Age. Prince released the single exclusively on Spotify, a surprise move after he pulled all his music from the streaming service earlier this month.

He moved his music to Tidal, the streaming site run by rap mogul Jay Z.