The NFL is finally bringing some representation to its biggest event. Variety reports, the league has announced a lineup of talented Black women as the performers for the Super Bowl LVI pre-game festivities.
Country singer Mickey Guyton has the monumental task of performing the National Anthem, Jhene Aiko will sing “America the Beautiful” and gospel duo Mary Mary will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
They will be accompanied by the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, with actress Sandra Mae Frank performing “America the Beautiful” and the National Anthem in American Sign Language on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf
Chart-topping DJ/producer Zedd is the official pregame DJ during player warmups.
Guyton has big shoes to fill, since the National Anthem is universally recognized as one of the hardest songs in the world to sing.
A bad performance can kill a career. Just ask Fergie. Recent Super Bowl anthem singers include Jazmine Sullivan, Demi Lovato, Gladys Knight and Pink.
She is most well known for her hits “Black Like Me,” “All American” and “Remember Her Name.”
R&B star Jhene Aiko may not be as famous as previous “America the Beautiful” performers, but we think she will be the talk of the pre-game, with many discovering her for the first time. Just to be clear, we obviously know all about Jhene Aiko, but we’re talking about everyone else.
We’re not sure how the audience will recover enough to enjoy the game after Mary Mary takes us to church on “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” This isn’t speculation, it’s going to happen, so prepare yourself.
It’s not clear exactly what time the pre-game ceremonies start, but with kickoff scheduled around 6:30 pm ET, viewers should tune in 30 minutes before just to be sure.
As usual, NBC has a full day of programming planned with the Super Bowl LVI Pregame Show beginning at 1 pm ET.
The Sunday Night Football crew will all be there, with Mike Tirico pulling double duty, as he also hosts the 2022 Winter Olympics Primetime Show. Maria Taylor hosts Pregame at Santa Monica Pier, then heads on-field at Halftime and finishes up as Postgame anchor.
Are you excited about Mickey Guyton, Jhene Aiko and Mary Mary? Are you one of the people who watches pre-game all day, starting first thing in the morning?