(NEXSTAR) – While some tune into the Super Bowl for the game, others are there for the commercials, snacks and halftime show. But the performances actually starts before the 6:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff, including a slate of pregame entertainers.
The most high-profile performance of the bunch is the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” For Super Bowl LIX, New Orleans native Jon Batiste will do the honors.
Batiste, a Grammy and Oscar winner, is a singer and composer with such a long resume you may recognize him from classical compositions, artist collaborations, TV or the big screen.
In addition to his own albums, including a recent reimagining of Beethoven with “Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1),” Batiste has worked with Beyoncé, Mumford & Sons, Lil Wayne, and many more.
You may recognize not just his voice, but also his face. From 2015 to 2022, Batiste and his band Stay Human played as the house band on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” The 2023 documentary “American Symphony” followed Batiste as he worked to compose a symphony. Meanwhile, his partner Suleika Jaouad fought leukemia.
For his upcoming rendition of the national anthem, Batiste said he’d be tweaking and toying with his performance plans down to the wire.
“I’m excited to figure out an arrangement that lasts the test of time, and I look forward to sharing it,” Batiste told Entertainment Tonight.
Batiste will be joined pregame by Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle singing “America the Beautiful.” R&B artist Ledisi will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
All the pregame entertainers come from Louisiana, according to the NFL.
“We’re honored to work with this year’s pregame lineup to celebrate the rich musical legacy of New Orleans and the entire state,” said Seth Dudowsky, head of music at the NFL, when announcing the lineup.
Super Bowl LIX, featuring the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, kicks off Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. When there’s a break in the football action, Kendrick Lamar and SZA will be performing at halftime.
