“A lot of people only tune into the Super Bowl for the commercials and the halftime show, which allows us to celebrate some of the most accomplished musicians, Janet Jackson being one of them,” Peppermint says. “So, in observation of Janet Jackson Appreciation Day for her groundbreaking Super Bowl performance, we decided to pay tribute to one of her most iconic music videos.” Peppermint continues by saying she remembered learning the dance moves to “Rhythm Nation” as a child, but never had the chance to perform it the way she wanted to. “Putting together this tribute, I’ve also allowed my imagination to come to life,” she explains. “In a time where politics and discrimination divide us, “Rhythm Nation” seems like the perfect song to bring back. The “Rhythm Nation” creed was music, dance, poetry, and unity. In an interview, Janet mentioned wanting to create a world where people are united by our passions for the arts and not divided by racism and discrimination and colorism, so in an effort to erase the color lines, Janet created the music video in black and white and all of the performers in a military, gender-neutral appearance. Obviously, we wanted to pay tribute to that, but this time, I wanted to make sure there were nonbinary and trans performers in the mix.”
“Rhythm Nation” is Peppermint’s second dance video to Jackson. She released her cover of “If” last year. “Janet Jackson has always been an icon, and I’ve always idolized her,” Peppermint says. “Whether gathering high school football players as reluctant dancers, teaching the routine at a summer camp talent show, or putting together some of my own shows, I have always modeled my live performances after Janet’s, but up until this moment, most of those are just memories with nothing to show and no way to look back on. Now that I have the ability, I wanted to do those performances justice.” Both “If” and “Rhythm Nation” have caught the attention of Jackson herself, who posted her appreciation on her socials. https://twitter.com/Peppermint247/status/1527357887143886848 Up next, Peppermint has been invited back for another guest starring role in Season 2 of Amazon Prime’s Harlem and a recurring role in Michelle Buteau’s brand-new Netflix series, Survival of The Thickest, which is expected to premiere in the spring. Additionally, Peppermint can currently be seen in Season 2 of Call Me Mother on OutTV. Photo courtesy of David Laffe
