Nile Rodgers is thankful to Cher for enabling Chic to play around the world.
The ‘Le Freak’ hitmaker’s band are currently on the road with the ‘Believe’ hitmaker on her ‘Here We Go Again Tour’ – inspired by her starring role in ‘Mama Mia! Here We Go Again’ and subsequent Abba covers album – in North America, and the 66-year-old producer has admitted his band wouldn’t be able to grow their audience in America if it wasn’t for the opportunity the Hollywood legend has given them.
Speaking to the Knoxville News Sentinel newspaper, he said: "We are really trying to build our audience in America as we have around the world.
"In a strange way, it makes me feel uncomfortable, but we are keeping ourselves out of the world market this year.
"One, thank God because of Cher, we get to play a huge amount of markets.
"I keep thinking we are overdoing it, but every show I ask how many people are seeing Chic for the first time.
"About 70 per cent of people at every show are saying it’s their first time."
Nile’s work with Daft Punk, including the hit song ‘Get Lucky’, from their 2013 album ‘Random Access Memories’, also gave Nile international success.
Asked whether or not his set will feature the many collaborations he has released over the past four decades, he replied: "Oh, absolutely Daft Punk is a part of our show now.
"Listen, I’m the only person who has three songs on that album ‘Random Access Memories’.
"It was a big deal because they are huge Chic fans.
If you look on the inside cover of their first album, you see Chic lying on the floor and Kiss up on the wall. Chic is a mashup of Kiss and Roxy Music.
We wanted the anonymity of Kiss and the couture style of Roxy Music.
"And also, if you look at the Kiss logo and you look at the Chic logo, they are almost the same."
And Nile says it’s no coincidence that he is on tour with another artist with four letters in their name, whilst pointing out the rave reviews of his Chic’s live show.
He added: "We have an artist with four letters in the word.
"It’s very much like that Chic, Kiss, Abba and Cher and Roxy Music. That four-letter thing — I don’t know what it is.
"Superstition among musicians? One thing I can promise you with humility and sincerity is you can see after the show online that most people will say it’s the best show they have been to."
The ‘Here We Go Again Tour’ continues on Saturday night (19.01.19) at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.
Nile Rodgers thankful to Cher for helping Chic grow US audience
