Who is singing the Black national anthem at Super Bowl 59? What to know about Ledisi
Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Ledisi will perform the Black national anthem at the 2025 Super Bowl.
For the fifth year in a row, the Super Bowl pregame show will feature a performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," the song that's widely known as the Black national anthem.
The tradition began in 2021 with a pre-recorded video of Alicia Keys performing the hymn. Gospel duo Mary Mary performed the song one year later in Los Angeles, and Sheryl Lee Ralph was in Glendale, Arizona to sing the anthem ahead of Super Bowl 57.
Last year, Andra Day sang "Lift Every Voice and Sing" in Las Vegas before Super Bowl 58.
This year, Ledisi will perform the Black national anthem in a pregame show that will also include Jon Batiste singing the American national anthem. Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle will also perform "America the Beautiful" before the game.
Here's what to know about Ledisi:
Who is Ledisi?
Ledisi is a Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter known for her incredible voice and fusion of music genres like R&B, soul, jazz and funk.
She was born in New Orleans and lived there for 13 years. According to a 2011 interview with NPR, by the time she was eight years old, she was performing with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra.
Ledisi eventually moved to Oakland, California ahead of high school and studied opera and piano at the University of California, Berkeley.
This year's Black national anthem singer points to Nina Simona as one of her biggest inspirations as a singer. In 2021, Ledisi released a tribute album called "Ledisi Sings Nina," which she will perform in New Orleans later this year to conclude her upcoming tour.
Ledisi has also been in six theater productions (including two on Broadway), two TV episodes, nine movies and is set to star in "Verona's Romeo & Juliet," which is due for a release sometime this month.
Ledisi tour
Ledisi is touring for three months this year. According to her website, her tour begins with her pregame performance of the Black national anthem at the Super Bowl.
The week after that, she's performing in Grand Prairie and Sugar Land, Texas. A week after her Texas stops, Ledisi is playing back-to-back days at Blues Jam 2025 in New York on Feb. 21 and 22.
She'll take a two-month break after that before heading to Las Vegas for the Las Vegas City of Lights Jazz and R&B Festival on April 26. Ledisi's tour will conclude where it started when she performs at the New Orleans Jazz Fest on May 3.
How to watch Super Bowl 59
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 9
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT
- Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Venue: Caesars Superdome
- Cable TV: Fox
- Streaming: Tubi; Fubo (which offers a free trial)
Stream the Super Bowl with Fubo
Fox will broadcast Super Bowl 59. Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady will provide the commentary for the matchup as Fox's lead broadcast duo.