After ending her stint on Lil Wayne’s “I Am Still Music Tour,” last month, Hip-Hop’s current it girl, Nicki Minaj, has now begun her highly anticipated joint “Femme Fatale” tour with pop idol Britney Spears. Now, in her first interview since the tour started, Nicki is opening up about sharing the stage with both Spears and Wayne and why fans have even more to look forward to the next go-round.
In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times’ Pop & Hiss, Nicki shares her creative theme for the opening section of the show.
“I wanted the direction to feel like a few girls from another planet. One of them just happens to be “the chosen one.” They embark on a journey to go to a few different cities and search for this person named Nemesis. I wanted it to be really theatrical and fun. And I just wanted to make the audience feel like they were spying on our world,” she said.
And while it’s clear that Wayne and Spears have very different fan bases, Minaj explains that despite her initial fear of performing for a majority pop audience, fans at the shows have welcomed the “Super Bass” rapper with open arms.
“Well, initially, what I thought was I hope this audience will appreciate what I do. What I first dealt with was a bit of the unknown. Is this something that Britney’s crowd will even enjoy?” said Minaj. “But it all went away the first night. I stood in the transporter, that big prop that we have on the stage, and I could not believe the crowd reaction before they even saw me. It was very emotional for me.”
In the interview, Minaj reveals that because of the short window of time between Wayne and Spears’ tours, she’s had little time to prepare for her current trek with Spears (“… we’ve been really, really pulling this off by the skin of my teeth”). But despite the rushed preparation and supposed wardrobe malfunctions, Minaj explains that she’s having fun touring and when it’s eventually her time to shine on her own solo tour, she’ll look to Wayne and Spears for inspiration.
“Let me just say I’m going to take from Britney and Wayne, because they’re both veterans,” said Minaj. “Being completely honest I’ve learned so much from them, in terms of production. Britney’s production is so amazing. When I sat out there the first night to watch it, I felt like I was a kid at an amusement park. It was so much, the lights, the content and the props. Whereas Wayne, he teaches me how to command a crowd.
“Am I gonna be able to do these humongous venues within the next year? Probably not. But am I gonna put on an amazing show and give everyone something that’s gonna be well worth what they paid? Absolutely yes.”
–nicholas robinson
