Hazel's Blog World: Is Nicki Minaj A Good Fit For Britney Spears' Tour? Experts Weigh In

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Is Nicki Minaj A Good Fit For Britney Spears' Tour? Experts Weigh In

'If people are going mainly for Britney, they will be excited to see Nicki as well and vice versa,' one insider tells MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena

Nicki Minaj and Britney Spears
Photo: Getty Images

After lots of rumors, it was officially announced Tuesday (April 12) that Britney Spears would be bringing along Nicki Minaj (as well as up-and-comers Nervo and Jessie and the Toyboys) on her Femme Fatale tour, kicking off this summer.

The Spears/Minaj matchup may not initially make sense, given their very different styles, but according to industry insiders who work on booking talent for venues throughout the country, this really is a match made in heaven.

"Bringing [together] two genres of music — one icon and one rising icon — is great for the music business. The combination of Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj on tour together is great for the music industry [and] shows its growing diversity," Matt Levine of Brandsway Creative, a branding and marketing group in New York City, explained to MTV News. "It gives concertgoers the opportunity to see two independently creative females excelling in their craft and showcasing their talent."

Dawn M. Britt, the director of public relations for the Venetian and Palazzo hotels in Las Vegas, said seeing these ladies on tour together screams girl power.

"Both Britney and Nicki give off a very 'girl power' attitude, and combining the Femme Fatale and Barbie themes is a smart marketing tool with the all-female tour," Britt explained. " ... Nicki is a mainstream rapper and collaborates with a lot of pop artists. Their audiences overlap enough that if people are going mainly for Britney, they will be excited to see Nicki as well and vice versa."

Britt said this tour makes tons of sense as it combines "two of the biggest names in music right now. Britney is a legend and in the midst of a huge comeback right now with her new Femme Fatale CD," she said. "Her recent performance in Vegas was a huge success and really got people excited for the tour. Nicki has been making a name for herself the last few years and is in high demand for collaborations and appearances."

Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief of Pollstar, explained that Nicki is a good fit for the tour since "that tour likely needs a strong support act, and Nicki is not a bad choice. Options at this late date had to be limited." He added that since Spears is launching a new phase of her career, "Fan response on an act like Britney ... is always a question mark until you put the first shows on sale and the public answers the demand-level question with their wallets."

What do you think of the Britney/Nicki combo? Let us know in the comments!

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