Calvin Harris was so nervous first playing Rihanna their new track This is What You Came For because he had made changes to it.
The Scottish DJ first teamed up with the Umbrella singer in 2011 for their smash hit We Found Love and they have reunited for a new collaboration This is What You Came For, which premiered on BBC Radio 1 on Friday (29Apr16).
Rihanna, 28, came into the studio to lay down vocals months ago and Calvin had since made many changes to the track, so when it came to playing her the finished version at the Coachella music festival in California earlier in April (16), he was unsure what she would think of it.
"She was like 'this is sick,'" he says during The Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw. "It was great. It was the first time anything's happened like that with me when I sit with the artist and nervous to play it to her because I changed so many bits from when she heard it, like musically. I'll never forget that actually, sitting in the trailer playing it and seeing the vibe hitting her, she was into it. It was amazing."
Calvin, 32, was a headliner at the festival and he brought Rihanna out as a surprise guest. But fans had no idea that during the event they had got together in a trailer with her manager so they could hear This is What You Came For for the first time.
Their new song wasn't revealed until earlier this week (begs25Apr16) and Calvin is excited that he can now talk about it.
"I've been playing this in my car for too long," he laughed. "I've not been able to tell anyone it exists til literally two days ago so it's exciting."
When asked how two big pop superstars managed to keep such a project under wraps, Calvin explained that he just talked about other collaborations he has in the works if anybody questioned him, while keeping quiet about "the ace card tucked in my pocket".
