Carmen Electra has been Carmen Electra for the majority of her career. The Baywatch actress turned OnlyFans star has only recently made a move to really own the name legally, however. And it’s coming decades after Prince changed her life… and helped her to change her name.
What Is Carmen Electra’s Real Name And How Did She Get Her Stage Name?
A few months ago, the actress spoke out about her early career, and it didn’t start in Hollywood. In fact, she moved to Minneapolis first, where she met Prince and auditioned to be a part of an all-girl singing group. Prince would eventually sign her to his record label and wrote a song for her called “Carmen on Top.”
Years later, Electra said she was “confused” about the song title, but Prince told her he thought she had the chops to make it solo in the music industry. He also thought she should change her birth name, which just so happened to be Tara Leigh Patrick, noting in an OWN interview:
I received a call from Prince saying I think you should be your own artist and not back up anyone else. 'I'm going to write you a song and if you like it, you can record it.' So, the next day I hear the song -- Tthe name of the song was called 'Carmen on Top.' My name's Tara, so I was confused. I loved the song. I loved it, but he said, 'mm mm You're not a Tara. You're not Tara. You're Carmen.' And I went, 'OK I can get into this.'
She later elaborated on why Carmen and Electra became the two names the singer cooked up for her, noting the “men” in her name was for the “men” at the musician’s shows. In a more recent interview with Access Hollywood, she spoke about how the superheroine with the similar name (and separate spelling) came first and how “proud” she is that it was Prince who helped Electra rework her identity for her career.
Electra came along and at first I was like, ‘That sounds like a superhero name.’ Which I think it is. And I was a little bit like, ‘I dunno if I want to do that or not.’ But then it just kind of clicked and I said, ‘Well it’s from Prince and I’m staying with it.’ Carmen Electra, that’s my name and I’m staying with it… I’m proud it’s from Prince.
After her music career, she became a model in the late nineties, eventually making her way to Los Angeles where her celebrity only grew. After appearing in Playboy, she landed a role in the infamous TV series Baywatch, ultimately playing Lani McKenzie in Season 8. While she only appeared in the one season, the role remains one of her most iconic. She also notable hosted Singled Out on MTV, appeared in the Scary Movie franchise and also danced with The Pussycat Dolls.
In recent years, she’s seen a career resurgence after her high-profile (and former) relationship with Dennis Rodman was explored in the popular Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance, which spawned quite the conversation. The role led to Carmen Electra to explore a career in OnlyFans and recently made a cameo in new movie release Good Burger 2. She's been synonymous with the "Electra" brand for decades now and wants to make the legal change.
What's Going On With The Baywatch Actress' Name?
Per legal documents (via Today), the actress is looking to make a name change decades after she professionally adopted her stage name. In fact, if you asked the average person who "Tara Leigh Patrick" is, I'd be willing to bet money that most would not know who was being referred to.
The reason she is using for wanting the name change now is for "legal clarification" with the documents also noting she's been using the name for decades now. Celebrities have used many reasons for changing their name, including Kelly Clarkson, who filed to change her name to "Kelly Brianne" after deciding it "more fully reflects" who she is and where she is at as a person.
The paperwork was filed on January 9th. The documentation also mentions a February 26th hearing to talk out legalizing the name. Assumedly, there will be no snafus with making this happen for the 51-year-old actress, and we'll be able to congratulate Carmen Electra on officially becoming Carmen Electra. Even though I guess, really, she's already Carmen Electra in our hearts.
