Yesterday, Justin Timberlake was rumored to be performing alongside a hologram of Prince at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show in Minneapolis, but now it looks like the collaboration might not happen after all. Last night, Prince’s former drummer Sheila E. voiced her disapproval of the hologram. Now, Sheila says that she’s spoken with Timberlake, who has assured her that there wouldn’t be a Prince hologram at the Super Bowl.
“Family, I spoke w/Justin 2nite and he shared heartfelt words of respect for Prince & the Purple fans,” she wrote last night on Twitter. “I look 4wrd 2 seeing what I’m sure is going 2 be a spectacular halftime show. There is no hologram.”
In the past, Prince has voiced his disapproval of the technology, as The Fader points out. In a 1998 interview with Guitar World, Prince was asked if he’d ever be interested in jamming with an artist from the past thanks to advances in digital editing. Prince responded in disgust, calling it “the most demonic thing imaginable.” He said:
Certainly not. That’s the most demonic thing imaginable. Everything is as it is, and it should be. If I was meant to jam with Duke Ellington, we would have lived in the same age. That whole virtual reality thing… it really is demonic. And I am not a demon. Also, what they did with that Beatles song [“Free As a Bird”], manipulating John Lennon’s voice to have him singing from across the grave… that’ll never happen to me. To prevent that kind of thing from happening is another reason why I want artistic control.
Family, I spoke w/Justin 2nite and he shared heartfelt words of respect for Prince & the Purple fans. I look 4wrd 2 seeing what I’m sure is going 2 be a spectacular halftime show. There is no hologram. 🙏🏽💋 pic.twitter.com/mhVXBfBa1B
— SheilaEdrummer (@SheilaEdrummer) February 4, 2018
