Cardi B Talks Feeling Anxiety Before Grammys, New Commercial

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Even though Cardi B has a strong chance of winning her first-ever Grammy, the rapper said she is feeling nervous heading into Sunday’s show.

Cardi B said in a recent interview that she’s been filled with anxiety about the potential of winning an award and executing her performance at the 61st annual Grammy Awards. She said she is trying to stay on an even keel, preparing for the “best of the worst.”

“You can never really be so sure,” Cardi B told The Associated Press while promoting her new Pepsi “Okurrr” commercial , which will air during the awards telecast. The show will air live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. “For some reason, with this whole Grammys coming, my mind has been like anxiety, anxiety.”

Anxiety is kicking my ass right now .

— iamcardib (@iamcardib) February 5, 2019

The rapper is nominated for five Grammys, competing for both album and record of the year. She also received nods for best pop duo/group performance, rap performance and rap album.

Before the awards last year, Cardi B said she had high hopes. She was a former stripper who became a social media darling and reality star before she turned into a pop culture sensation and earned two Grammy nominations.

Cardi B walked away empty-handed, but she used the letdown as motivation. She’s yearning for a Grammy because it will give her a “stamp of approval.”

“I remember last year, a lot of people were like, ‘You’re going to win,’ but then I didn’t,” she said. “I was like, I just got to work harder to get one. So it’s like, if I don’t get one, it means I have to triple the work and I’m going to keep on until I get one.”

Cardi B certainly put in the work. She had two songs (“I Like It” and “Girls Like You” with Maroon 5) top the Billboard Hot 100 and her album “Invasion of Privacy” debuted atop the Billboard 200.

The rapper’s new commercial called “Okurrr” is a follow-up to the “More Than OK” ad featuring Steve Carell and Lil Jon that aired during the Super Bowl.

Cardi B said the commercials are giving her some validation.

“Sometimes I ask myself, ‘Like, am I enough? Am I there yet?'” she said. “But when you do these types of commercials, it is like they certify you to the world and to yourself.”