Mickey Guyton Starts Super Bowl With a Soaring National Anthem, Preceded by Jhene Aiko and Mary Mary Lifting Voices
variety.comChris Willman Music WriterUnofficially, at least, the United States has three national anthems now, not just one … which allowed three musical all-star artists — Mickey Guyton, Jhené Aiko and Mary Mary — to shine in the immediate run-up to Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles Sunday.Much-lauded country singer Guyton was in pole position just before the game to sing “The Star Spangled Banner,” as she has on many occasions before.
Although a pianist was seen, Guyton’s version was for all intents and purposes a cappella, joined by a choir shortly before she gave Frances Scott Key’s tune a galvanizing key change.In a way, Guyton’s appearance was an act of symbolic consolidation, on top of just picking the rare current name act who’s capable of the vocal job.
Last year, “The Star Spangled Banner” was sung before the Super Bowl by a country star (Eric Church) and a Black woman (Jazmine Sullivan).
This year, they got all those things in one bravura package.Guyton — who is nominated for three awards at the upcoming Grammys — has said that she was known as “the national anthem girl” growing up in Texas, singing it regularly from the time she was 13. “The national anthem is my song,” she told the Los Angeles Times, noting that she’d first been prompted to think about tackling music by seeing LeAnn Rimes deliver it before a pro game, and been further inspired to follow her dream as a person of color by seeing Whitney Houston’s now-legendary version.
Read more on variety.com