5 things to know about Super Bowl LV anthem singers Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan
Country music star Eric Church and R&B sensation Jazmine Sullivan will sing the “Star-Spangled Banner” prior to Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Here are some things to know about the two singers and their national anthem performance.
Who is Jazmine Sullivan?
With 12 Grammy nominations, including one for Best New Artist in 2008, Sullivan has been a powerhouse in the R&B genre.
Her 2021 album, “Heaux Tales,” and 2015 album, “Reality Show,” both peaked at No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart on Billboard, with her 2008 debut album, “Fearless,” topping the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. She has had four Top 10 hit songs and one No. 1 song — “Need U Bad” — on Billboard’s Hot R&B Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Sullivan, a 33-year-old Philadelphia native, told the Associated Press her mom and dad will go with her to the Super Bowl in what she called “a moment for all of us.”
“I’m ready to take it and do my thing. I feel like I’m representing my people,” she told the AP. “I’ma go there and do my thing and be myself and sing the anthem the way I want to, the way I feel it in my spirit. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens after that.”
Who is Eric Church?
One of the biggest names in country music, Church has been nominated for 10 Grammy awards and won Entertainer of the Year at the 2020 Country Music Association Awards.
He’s had 17 Top 10 hits on the Hot Country Songs Billboard chart, with 2012’s “Drink in my Hand” and “Springsteen” both peaking at No. 1. Three of his albums — 2011’s “Chief,” 2014’s “The Outsiders” and 2018’s “Desperate Man” — topped the Country Albums chart for Billboard.
A native of North Carolina who later moved to Nashville, Church hinted to the Los Angeles Times about what his rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner” will sound like.
“I know I want to play guitar. And we’re keeping it based around the melody,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “Basically, if I can stay out of her way, we’re golden.”
An unlikely paring
The idea of Church, whose roots are in country music, and Sullivan, a contemporary R&B singer, singing the anthem together may seem far-fetched. Church admitted he did not know much about Sullivan when he was asked to sing with her.
“Let me tell you something. She may be the best singer. I was floored,” Church said of Sullivan on the Today’s Country Music podcast. “And you know what, the best thing about this, no matter what happens, because that’s a nervy thing that we got to do, but what a fan, I’m a fan. I’ve went in and listened to everything she did. And I had heard her name, but full disclosure, I had not listened.”
Church credited producer Adam Blackstone for the idea. The Grammy-nominated Blackstone earned an Emmy nomination in 2018 after he directed Justin Timberlake’s halftime show of the 2018 Super Bowl, Variety reported.
The two singers had not met until the Super Bowl arrangement, they said.
“We definitely come from two totally different, um, everything,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “But, I’m excited. I think it will be cool to blend the different sounds of music and just show some unity.”
The Capitol riot influenced Church’s decision
Church told the Los Angeles Times he has “avoided” singing the national anthem. But when the riot at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., happened Jan. 6, Church agreed to perform at the Super Bowl, he said.
“With what’s going on in America, it feels like an important time for a patriotic moment,” Church told the newspaper. “An important time for unity. The fact that I’m a Caucasian country singer and she’s an African-American R&B singer — I think the country needs that.”
Five people were killed in the Jan. 6 riot and dozens more were injured. At least 181 people have been arrested following the Capitol takeover, CBS News reported. Lawmakers from both parties said then-President Donald Trump bears some responsibility for the riot, which ultimately led to his second impeachment.
The first Super Bowl duet
While some choirs have sung the national anthem at the Super Bowl, this year’s version is the first to feature a duet.
The previous 15 Super Bowl anthems were sung by solo artists, with Demi Lovato performing it last year.
In 2005, the Combined U.S. Armed Forces Choirs sang the anthem. They were the first non-solo act to perform it in 20 years
The anthem will be performed shortly before the 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff between the Chiefs and Bucs.
This story was originally published February 7, 2021 at 7:48 AM with the headline "5 things to know about Super Bowl LV anthem singers Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan."