Black Eyed Peas Talk Super Bowl: ‘We Thought Oprah Was Big’

The Black Eyed Peas have spent a good portion of 2010 touring their multi-platinum album The E.N.D. before releasing their follow-up LP The Beginning. But will.i.am, Fergie, Taboo, and apl.de.ap are set to hit a career high in 2011, when the quartet performs a medley of hits during the halftime show at Super Bowl XLV in Texas.

While the group has played to sold-out arenas across the globe, the high-profile gig has them surprisingly on edge. “We thought Oprah was big, but to perform at the Super Bowl where a lot of the greats have performed, I’m getting nervous this time around,” apl.de.ap tells staging-rapup.kinsta.cloud. “It’s a great opportunity because usually, the Super Bowl, they pick rock legends and stuff, so this time around you get a little different taste of different music genres.”

Though the Peas have yet to decide how the performance will shape up, the international phenoms plan on bringing the energy and the noise with a mix of past hits and new material from The Beginning. “It’s just going to be Peas. Lots of energy and a lot of our songs you always hear at the sporting events. So at least in that way, we can tell what kind of music they like,” explains apl. “We’re going to utilize all the songs that they utilize from us, [like] ‘I Gotta Feeling.’ I don’t know, maybe flying over the scoreboard or something.”

The Filipino MC also admits that there’s a lot to live up to given previous performances, noting Prince’s 2007 halftime show as one of his favorites. “Prince’s performance was like—the timing and when he sang ‘Purple Rain’ and then it actually rained. You can’t pay for that stuff. That’s like the world giving back. So that’s the one that caught my eye.”