Country artist Mickey Guyton will sing the National Anthem, R&B singer Jhene Aiko will perform “America the Beautiful,” and gospel act Mary Mary will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” accompanied by the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, as part of the pre-game ceremonies for the Super Bowl on Feb. 13, the NFL announced on Tuesday.
Also, actress Sandra Mae Frank will perform the National Anthem and “America the Beautiful in American sign language on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf, and veteran DJ-producer Zedd will act as the official pregame DJ during player warmups.
The choices speak to the NFL’s recent moves toward greater diversity, announced when it first teamed up with Roc Nation as an entertainment consultant in 2019. Guyton is the first Black artist to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album and has been outspoken about the racism she has encountered from some fans while working in the genre.
👏🏾Look👏🏾at👏🏾God. I am shook, I am grateful, I am praise dancing…
So excited to be singing the national anthem at #SBLVI on February 13th! @nfl @nbcsports pic.twitter.com/bDdpyt1rCb— Mickey Guyton (@MickeyGuyton) February 1, 2022
Six-time Grammy nominee Aiko, has a diverse background that includes grandparents who are Japanese and Creole/Dominican. Mary Mary is a long-running gospel duo from Los Angeles comprised of sisters Erica Atkins-Campbell and Trecina Atkins-Campbell. Frank plays a deaf character in the show “New Amsterdam” and is also deaf in real life.
In honor of the Air Force’s 75th Anniversary year, the service will conduct a first-of-its-kind flyover over SoFi Stadium during the national anthem. The Air Force Heritage Flight will be a formation of a P-51 Mustang, A-10C Thunderbolt II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-22 Raptor, and a F-35A Lightning II.
The NFL previously announced that legendary hip-hop and R&B performers Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will headline the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show which will be produced by DPS with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins serving as executive producers, and Hamish Hamilton serving as director.
Super Bowl LVI will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA on Sunday, February 13, 2022. The game will air on NBC and Telemundo, and stream live on Peacock.