As Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am confirms ‘special guests’ for Brighton Pride – here are 6 pop girlies we’re hoping for
Cheryl? Fergie? Britney? Come on, they're all plausible.
Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.iam has teased that the band will be joined by some “special guests” when they take to the stage at Brighton & Hove Pride in August.
The guys are set to headline on Saturday 5 August, with STEPS taking to the stage the following night.
Naturally, people have been whipped up into a frenzy as to who these guests might be, with people seeming to think that Will’s most recent collaborator could make an appearance.
Just imagine….
“If we told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise…” – will.i.am
“It’s going to be an amazing show,” will.i.am recently told Metro. “To crank up the festival party atmosphere. Look for a mix of our top global hits, and some newer tracks from Translation and Evolution.
“Yes, we do love bringing on special guests, but if we told you then it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”
Here are five plausible suggestions for who it could be, from the plausible to the highly-unlikely-but-you-never-know variety…
1 Britney Spears
The idea of Britney appearing does not seem completely far-fetched given her collaboration with will.i.am on ‘Mind Your Business,’ which was released on Friday (21 July).
In his review, Attitude’s Jamie Tabberer described the track as an “unlistenable oddity of a song.” He also wrote: “The production is sparse and basic, as if it was created by an infant on their first keyboard.”
Still, one excited fan tweeted: “I’m defo gonna be seeing britney at brighton pride with the black eyed peas aren’t i.” Someone else wrote: “Can you possibly imagine that Britney Spears pops up as a surprise guest.”
Britney has also headlined Brighton Pride on her own in 2018 so maybe she’s keen to return?
2 Anne-Marie
Other names being bandied around as to who the “special guests” could be include Anne Marie, who has worked with will.i.am on The Voice.
Despite the occasional squabble over stealing each other’s acts, the two are known to be good friends, and have even discussed their respective battles with anxiety on the show.
3 Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole is another possibility. She worked with will on her forgotten 2007 single ‘Baby Love’, and more memorably on ‘Beep’: the 2005 hit from Nicole’s band The Pussycat Dolls.
We’d say this one’s more likely than the girls getting back together, at least.
4 Fergie
But we have to wonder: could it be Fergie? You know, one of the OG members of the Black Eyed Peas…
She may have left the group in 2017, but six years is a long time on Planet Pop. (Plus she’s been pretty quiet since her sophomore album Double Duchess dropped that same year.) When it was announced in February that BEP would be heading, many did wonder if the one and only Stacy Ann Ferguson would join old pals will.i.am, pl.de.ap, and Taboo.
5 Shakira
According to new reports, Shakira’s got a lot on her mind the moment… you know, outside of music. But having appeared on two BEP singles – 2020’s ‘Girl Like Me’; 2022’s ‘Don’t You Worry’ with David Guetta – it’s possible. Also, an ice cream on Brighton’s pebbled beaches might be just the getaway she needs!
6 Cheryl
Our money’s on Cheryl, who’s already stormed stages at Manchester Pride and Mighty Hoopla.
She and will also scored two top five hits on the UK singles chart many, many moons ago now: 2008’s ‘Heartbreaker’ and the gloriously weird ‘3 Words’ from 2009.
Check out our guide to everything you need to know about Brighton Pride 2023 here.