Extreme musician has worked with the singer for years and guarantees that Riri is a good person, in addition to being very talented
When a rock fan hears the name of Nuno Bettencourtthe natural association is with his work in extreme. The guitar virtuoso is one of the founding members of the group, famous for the hit “More Than Words”. Many, however, do not know that he is part of the concert band of Rihanna since 2009, including appearing alongside the artist during her presentation at super bowl.
In an interview with Audio InkRadio (via blabbermouth), the Portuguese musician shared a series of reports about this experience of more than a decade. Initially, he highlighted that, in addition to being an excellent job, Riri is beyond good people.
“For starters, it’s Rihanna. She is a great artist and is super nice to be around. The shows were insane, as were the audience. Incredible. When they called me, when she wanted me and Tony Bruno [guitarrista e diretor musical] we did that, I was like, ‘Why? There’s no guitar on these songs’. But they said, ‘That’s why we want you to do it and rock it.’
As an observation, it is worth noting that Tony Bruno also has a longstanding involvement with hard rock. He was guitarist for Danger Dangeran American band that achieved average notoriety at the height of the so-called glam metal, in the 1980s. It participated in the group’s eponymous debut album, released in 1989, but left before the start of the tour, being replaced by Andy Timmons – who completed his parts on the disc. At the time, she was also a member of the group Sarayaof the same style.
Over the years, he distanced himself from rock and took on the role of musical director for the singer. Enrique Iglesias. The entire musical aspect of the artist’s shows, whether on tour or in TV performances or awards, is under Bruno’s responsibility. This guaranteed him work alongside Billy Joel, Anastasia and, of course, Rihanna, among other high-profile names.
Own identity
Returning to the story told by Nuno Bettencourt, an initial distrust, of course, took over his thoughts when he was invited to work: the guitarist was not sure if he could imprint his musical personality as part of Rihanna’s band. After all, it’s a different style than he was used to and the spotlight is on the pop singer. However, he was given carte blanche.
“I asked if I could be myself, completely, and they said yes. It was really cool to destroy some of her songs [risos] It was really interesting playing such iconic songs, songs like ‘Umbrella’ and stuff, adding big guitars to them.”
Rihanna – and Nuno Bettencourt – at the Super Bowl
Also during the interview, Nuno Bettencourt addressed his participation alongside Rihanna in the Super Bowl, on February 12th. Although it was filmed for just a second, the guitarist was there, along with the other musicians from the artist’s backing band.
“Unfortunately, the band didn’t get much attention from the cameras, but we did the show. It was cool for several reasons. The Super Bowl halftime show is iconic. To be a part of that, to rehearse in the stadium and be a part of that history… and I’m also a huge football fan, so that was great for me. You know, the fact that the teams were playing and all that… it was a big moment for me for sure.”
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
