Mickey Guyton gives powerful rendition of national anthem at Super Bowl 2022
LOS ANGELES - Country singer Mickey Guyton kicked off Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals with a powerful rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Guyton, a Grammy-nominated country artist from Texas, performed the anthem in a solid blue gown, representing the colors of the Rams. The performance was accompanied by an Air Force flyover of the stadium. It was also preceded by Jhené Aiko’s rendition of "America the Beautiful."
Both songs were simultaneously performed in American Sign Language.
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Guyton, who told The Associated Press this week that she’d earned the nickname for singing "The Star Spangled Banner" in a tight 1:30, sang it in about 1:50. Oddsmakers had put the over/under on the anthem length at 1:35.
"I don’t want to ruin anybody’s sports bets, but let’s just say it’s the Super Bowl, so it most likely won’t be as fast," the Grammy-nominated country singer told the AP.
She was still faster than the Super Bowl average of around two minutes.
Guyton is the first Black artist to earn a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album for her debut album, "Remember Her Name," which was released in 2021.
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She is the latest singer to join the group of powerhouse performers who have sung the Super Bowl’s national anthem, which has included Beyoncé, Idina Menzel, Kelly Clarkson, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Garth Brooks, Gladys Knight, Mariah Carey and Lady Gaga.
When this year’s national anthem singer was officially announced, Guyton wrote on Twitter that she was "shook," and "praise dancing" over the opportunity.
Super Bowl LVI kicked off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. The game is being played at the Rams’ and Chargers’ Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California, making it the second straight season where a team is playing in a Super Bowl on their home field.
The winner will be awarded the Lombardi Trophy and crowned NFL champions for the 2021-2022 season.
Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar are headlining the halftime show. The five music artists have a combined 44 Grammys — with Eminem topping the group at 15.
This story was reported from Cincinnati and Los Angeles.