Will.I.Am admits he was skeptical about ‘Eras’ tour and its “impossible” hype

Will.I.am has admitted that he was skeptical about Taylor Swift‘s ‘Eras Tour’ and its “impossible” hype.

In an interview on radio station SiriusXM’s Hits 1 Miami With Mack & Jen, Will.i.am spoke about the Black Eyed Peas’ upcoming residency in Las Vegas, which begins in February 2025 at Planet Hollywood Live.

The rapper and entrepreneur said that, if not for attending a night on the ‘Eras’ tour, the residency wouldn’t have happened.

“I’m like, ‘Everybody’s talking about that Taylor Swift show,’” he told SiriusXM hosts Michael Weaver and Jennifer Morejon. “And they’re really hyping it. Like, ‘How dope can it actually be? It’s just a show.’ When people praise stuff that much, there’s no way that it’s that dope. It’s impossible.”

The hip-hop group had been offered a Las Vegas residency by then, but the trio were reluctant to accept it. However, a chance to watch Swift live in Italy, when they were there on tour, changed their minds.

“I went… with super heavy skeptics goggles on,” the rapper said, adding that the show “was hardcore, bro. The best sh– in the world.”

“I left like, ‘Yo, we definitely doing Vegas. Let’s do it,’” Will.i.am continued. “That’s how transfixed I was [with] that Taylor Swift show. And then from there I called our management like, ‘Yo, that Vegas offer still there? Say yes to it … I just came from Taylor Swift’s show, and we’re gonna do it.’”

“I’ve been freaking energized and inspired,” he added. “So thank you Swift.” The Peas’ residency will run from February to May 2025 – find tickets here.

In August, Will.I.am launched an AI-led interactive radio platform, which aims to “reimagine radio the way the iPhone did for the telephone”.

It arrived a year after Spotify launched its AI DJ, which recognises your listening habits and suggests new songs for you using artificial intelligence. However, RAiDiO.FYI differs from Spotify’s offering in that it permits two-way communication — users can press a button to speak with the AI persona at any moment.