The vocalist shared her experience working with the Stones in an August 2024 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, and honestly, it’s a lot more wholesome than you might expect.
Chanel Haynes is certainly no stranger to the spotlight, but few spotlights shine quite as bright as the one illuminating the Rolling Stones. The former girl group member and actor began working with the legendary rock band in 2022 and later accompanied them on their Hackney Diamonds Tour in 2023.
When things got too overwhelming, Haynes said she often dipped back to her dressing room for “red-room parties.” “My room is always red,” she explained. “I always travel with red light bulbs, and we’ll have snacks, drink wine, hang out, and listen to music. It has just really been a blessing.”
Hanging out with guitarist Keith Richards was another favorite pre-show ritual of Haynes. “We’d have a little bit of shepherd’s pie [before the show],” she explained. “He always has it, and I am sort of a foodie. Sometimes, there’s a lot going on backstage and can be a little unsettling, but Keith is the calmest. So, whenever I’m around him, I just really feel so grounded watching him strum his guitar while I totally devour his shepherd’s pie.”
She spent plenty of time visualizing nearly every other aspect of the job, too. “I let my body and my heart feel it so that when I showed up, I was living in my dream,” Haynes recalled. “For example, every note, every flight on that jet, every dinner, every rehearsal, soundcheck, my dressing room, walking with security from the stage to the motorcade, I already fantasized that all these things would happen, so that when it did, I was like a kid in the candy store. I was like, ‘It’s really happening.’”
