FOR many, the actual game is a secondary to the wider show that is the Super Bowl.
The focus of discourse around Super Bowls, for non-football fans especially, has centred around the pre-match and half-time entertainment.
Pre-game, the American national anthem will open play.
Grammy winner Jon Batiste, who is from Louisiana, will sing The Star-Spangled Banner in front of a packed crowd at the Superdrome in New Orleans.
That song will come after Lift Every Voice and Sing is performed.
Known as the ‘Black national anthem’, the song was first introduced as part of the Super Bowl pregame routine in 2020.
Andra Day performed the song last year.
With Super Bowl 59 taking place this weekend, here is a dive into everything you need to know about the song.
What is Lift Every Voice and Sing and why is it called the Black national anthem?
James Weldon Johnson’s Lift Every Voice and Sing was originally written late in 1899.
It is a hymn of thanksgiving to God as well as a prayer for faithfulness and freedom.
“At the turn of the 20th century, Johnson’s lyrics eloquently captured the solemn yet hopeful appeal for the liberty of Black Americans,” the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) have said.
Set against the religious invocation of God and the promise of freedom, the song was later adopted by NAACP.
It was prominently used as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Nonetheless, it wasn’t until 2020 that the NFL included the anthem in its pre-game events after demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Who is singing the Black national anthem at the 2024 Super Bowl?
Grammy Award-winning singer Ledisi has been selected to perform Lift Every Voice and Sing ahead of the Big Game.
Ledisi, 52, was born in New Orleans and raised in Oakland, CA.
She released her first album, Soulsinger, in 2000, which has been followed by ten more – most recently Good Life in 2024.
Apart from music, Ledisi has furthered her career in film and television as an actress, notably as a co-star in the film Spinning Gold.
Pregame performances will also include homegrown talent in the form of Jon Batiste singing the national anthem and duo Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle with America the Beautiful.
Kendrick Lamar, a 22-time Grammy winner, will headline the halftime show.
It is the first time a rapper has led the performance as a solo act.
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