Mary J Blige has addressed the fact she’s not getting paid to headline the Super Bowl halftime show, while also sharing Eminem’s reaction.
The Be Without You singer will perform at the NFL event in California this Sunday as part of an epic line-up with Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre and Kendrick Lamar.
They will follow in the footsteps of legends such as Beyonce, Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross who have headlined in the past.
Performing at the Super Bowl is no small feat with the game drawing an average of 100million viewers each year, making for the perfect promotional opportunity for music artists.
However, it’s for that reason that the NFL famously does not pay its halftime show headliners.
Sharing her thoughts on performing for free, Mary said on The Cruz Show: ‘You’re going to be paid for the rest of your life off of this. People are going to be knocking at your [door].
‘Listen, they don’t have to pay me but if they was paying, it’d be a lot of money. But I’m good.’
Sharing Eminem’s thoughts on the lack of pay, Mary added: ‘This is major, it’s an opportunity of a lifetime. Eminem said that, we was just saying this is an opportunity of a lifetime.’
Referring to his hit song, she then quipped: ‘You better lose yourself [in the moment].’
Mary, 51, is the only woman featuring on this year’s halftime show line-up and will add a dose of R&B to the hip-hop heavy roster.
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Explaining the selection of artists, the singer explained to USA Today: ‘Dre is the one who called us all to be part of this moment and it’s an honour because we love and respect him so much.
‘Everyone [in the lineup] is an artist that Dre produced or wrote for or has a connection. You get that call and you’re like, “What do you want me to do and I’m there”.
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‘And if he gives you two or three minutes of Super Bowl time … wow.’
She added: ‘I appreciate the offer and I’ve earned the right to be anywhere that amazing. I’m going to be a team player and let them know, thank you for recognising my talent.’
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