Source: Michael Patton / Michael Patton Photography
National anthems are going to be a bit different this year.
In fact, we will have the pleasure of hearing three.
The NFL has recently announced more performers to this year’s Super Bowl. Moments before the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals duke it out, three anthems will be sung by exceptional talents. Gospel legends Mary Mary will perform the unofficial, official African American National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” R&B star Jhene Aiko will sing “America the Beautiful”. She will be accompanied with Deaf actor Sandra Mae Frank. Sandra is planning to perform the song in American Sign Language. Lastly, Country star Mickey Guyton will be performing America’s National Anthem. Each and every performance of an anthem will be backed by the sounds of the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles.
The Super Bowl Halftime Show was announced its performers months ago. Dr. Dre is headlining and he will be accompanied with some of his best colleagues. Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar were announced to take the stage with him. Nobody knows who else will join him.
Super Bowl LVI’s music performances are already looking like one of the more diverse spectacles of Black artistry.
Mickey Guyton is coming off an exceptional album run that landed her GRAMMY nominations. She became the first Black artist and Black woman nominated for 3 Country categories. Guyton’s Remember Her Name earned nominations for Best Country Album, Best Country Song and Best Solo Performance. She isn’t a stranger to singing the National Anthem either. She performed it during the 2021 National Memorial Day Concert.
PBS 2021 National Memorial Day Concert – Mickey Guyton’s National Anthem
Jhene Aiko is ramping down the performances of her last album Chilombo, which nabbed her three GRAMMY nominations including Album of the Year. She ended last year with a new holiday song called “Wrap Me Up”.
Jhene Aiko – Wrap Me Up
Her announcement of being a Super Bowl performer comes with a bit of playful tension though.
A hometown rivalry between your parents could get a little tense as one could imagine. The brightside is that they’ll get to see their daughter perform in one of America’s biggest stages.
Mary Mary are certainly not strangers to brining the house down with their vocal performances. Their Soul, Jazz and R&B fusion Gospel hits like “Shackles (Praise You)” and “Get Up” have rocked churches since 1998. The Atkins sisters haven’t released an album together since 2011. They went onto pursue solo careers in various parts of entertainment, until they reunited on TV One’s 2018 Stellar Awards.
