As the world mourns the loss of D’Angelo, who passed away on October 14, 2025, fans are once again turning to the song that defined both his legacy and his burden. The track in question, “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” was released on January 10th, 2000, as part of his second studio album “Voodoo.”
Let’s revisit five facts about D’Angelo’s biggest song and commemorate his legacy through its many iconic moments:
- It all started as a Prince homage:
Initially, the track was composed as an homage to the legendary Prince. It featured a similar style and sound to the artist’s earlier music, specifically the “Controversy” album era. In addition, D’Angelo can be heard emulating Prince’s iconic falsetto, one of his most recognizable vocal mannerisms.
- An acclaimed era, song, and album
“Untitled (How Does It Feel)” earned a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2001, proving the way critics and the Grammy voters received the song with open arms. The song’s mother album, “Voodoo,” also achieved success at the ceremony with a win for Best R&B album.
- The video turned into a sensual pop culture moment
The song’s music video burned itself into pop culture’s memory, thanks to its steamy moments and sensuality. Directed by Paul Hunter and D’Angelo’s manager Dominique Trenier, the video presented D’Angelo standing seemingly naked against a black backdrop as he lip-synced every line. The video turned D’Angelo into a mainstream superstar, receiving heavy rotation on MTV and BET.
- D’Angelo went from a musician to a sex symbol with a predominantly female fanbase
“Untitled (How Does It Feel)” not only proved the singer’s musical genius, but it also elevated him to a sex symbol status. D’Angelo had been working out intensely with trainer Mark Jenkins, which prompted his manager, Dominique Trainer, to transform the artist’s public appeal thanks to his new muscular physique.
“You’ve got to realize, he’d never looked like that before in his life. To somebody who was so introverted, and then, in a matter of three or four months, to be so ripped-everything was happening so quickly,” Trainer said.
- Sex symbol, the label D’Angelo never wanted for himself
The reaction for “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” was overwhelmingly positive, especially from female audiences, but D’Angelo was always reluctant to carry the “sex icon” status. This was especially evident since the start, as the artist was anxious about the music video from its proposal.
The issues escalated during the supporting tour for the “Voodoo” album, during which attendees would yell out for the singer to take his clothes off on stage. Following the success of the music video and the tour, D’Angelo would go on to vanish from the music scene until his 2014 album “Black Messiah.” Many of his peers later noted that this contributed to his absence and the subsequent legal controversies and legal issues in D’Angelo’s life.