Andra Day performed an emotional rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to kick off the Super Bowl LVIII festivities.
Dressed in a chic, oversized gray pantsuit and giant gold earrings, the singer belted out, “Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us / Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us / Facing the rising sun of our new day begun / Let us march on till victory is won.”
Known as "The Black National Anthem," “Lift Every Voice and Sing” has been included in the Super Bowl pre-show since 2021, when it was performed for the first time by Alicia Keys. In 2022, Mary Mary had the honor of singing the song and last year, Sheryl Lee Ralph performed the 1900 gospel anthem. The song was written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson to reflect the struggles of African Americans in the face of Reconstruction and Jim Crow laws. It became an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and '60s.
Given that the song is a relatively new addition to the Super Bowl, Day opened up about the opportunity to introduce “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to an audience of millions who maybe aren’t familiar with its history and importance within Black culture.
“It’s a hymn of triumph, you know?” she said during Apple Music’s pre-game press conference. “That’s what I want people to encounter when I sing the song. I want them to know that we have victory and we have peace already…You know, it’s funny: there’s a burden but it’s not so much a burden. I keep telling people, I just really want to diminish myself as much as possible and for me, spiritually, just make space for a move of God, and that’s what I’m hoping happens.”
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