WASHINGTON — Grammy-winning musician Ledisi performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the 2025 Super Bowl, delivering a powerful rendition of the song often referred to as the Black national anthem.
Lift Every Voice and Sing has been performed at every Super Bowl since 2021. Last year, Andra Day performed it ahead of the 2024 championship game.
Ledisi was joined by a choir on the field for the pre-game performance.
Who is Ledisi?
Ledisi Anibade Young, better known by her mononym Ledisi, is a New Orleans-born singer with roots in the soul and R&B genres.
The 52-year-old has released 11 albums since 2000, with the latest, “Good Life” releasing in 2024. She is a 15-time Grammy nominee and has won the award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for her single “Anything For You.”
She has also featured in a number of prominent film roles, including a portrayal of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in the 2014 film Selma and 2022’s Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story.
What is ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’?
“Lift Every Voice and Sing” is a hymn with lyrics written by James Weldon Johnson. The hymn is also known as “The Black National Anthem.”
According to the NAACP, where Johnson served as executive secretary at the time the hymn was written, the song was “prominently used as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.”
Johnson’s brother composed the music for the hymn, which was initially written as a poem.
The organization said it was first performed in public by a choir of 500 schoolchildren from the segregated Stanton School in Jacksonville, Florida, where Johnson was principal. It was performed to celebrate President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.
It became the official song of the NAACP in 1919.
Grammy winner Audra Day performed the song at the Super Bowl in 2024.
Who else is performing at the Super Bowl?
Grammy and Oscar-winning artist Jon Batiste has been chosen to perform the national anthem at Super Bowl LIX.
Batiste, a New Orleans native, is a five-time Grammy Award winner and 22-time nominee and an Academy Award winner. The national anthem will include an American Sign Language (ASL) performance signed by Stephanie Nogueras.
Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle were tapped for a duet of “America the Beautiful” for Super Bowl 2025.
Trombone Shorty is a familiar face for fans of Jon Batiste, having picked up his first Grammy in 2022 for featured contributions to Batiste’s “We Are.”
Daigle is a chart-topping Christian artist who has led Billboard’s Christian charts with each of her four albums, winning her two Grammys.
Rap megastar Kendrick Lamar is the headlining act and will be joined by R&B singer-songwriter SZA.
The halftime show itself is one of the biggest musical events in the world, with about 1 out of every 3 Americans tuning in.
SZA will be joining him on the big stage after being featured in his newest album GNX. They’re also preparing to embark on a 19-city North American tour this spring and summer. The Grand National Tour kicks off April 19 in Minneapolis and concludes June 18 in Washington, D.C.