Super Bowl LIX is obviously about the high-stakes matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.
But it’s also about much, much more.
The Super Bowl is a sporting event, sure. However, it’s a pop culture phenomenon that’s practically unmatched worldwide. It pulls in hundreds of millions of viewers due to the game itself, highly anticipated commercials and a 13-minute mega concert halftime show.
But before all of that happens, we get the pregame festivities, which include time-honored traditions like the “Star-Spangled Banner” and, in recent years, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Just before Super Bowl LIX kicks off, Ledisi will perform the song which is referred to as the “Black national anthem.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the Grammy winner.
Who Is Ledisi? A Look at Her Background
Ledisi Anibade Young is a vocalist, songwriter and actress. A native of New Orleans, Ledisi’s career has spanned more than two decades thanks to a blend of R&B, gospel and jazz music.
In the mid-2000s, Ledisi broke out with back-to-back albums Lost & Found (2007) and Turn Me Loose (2009), the latter of which earned her two Grammy nominations.
Her 2011 album Pieces of Me earned three Grammy nominations and the lead single “Pieces of Me” peaked at No. 2 of Billboard’s Hot R&B chart.
Ledisi released her seventh studio album in 2014, entitled The Truth. The album dropped the same time that she played Mahalia Jackson in the film Selma, a film based on the voting rights marches in Alabama led by Martin Luther King Jr. and James Bevel.
She was nominated for three more Grammy awards in 2018 for her album Let Love Rule. In 2021, Ledisi won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance for her song “Anything for You” off her album The Wild Card.
In her career, Ledisi has released 11 studio albums, 36 singles, three live albums and one soundtrack.
The History of ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’
“Lift Every Voice and Sing” was written in late 1899 by James Weldon Johnson. Johnson originally started out with the goal of writing a poem to commemorate the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, but shortly thereafter Johnson and his brother John Rosamond decided it would be better as a song.
John composed the music to James’ words and the song was performed for the public by a choir of Stanton School students from Jacksonville, Fla.
Booker T. Washington endorsed the song in 1905 and it was adopted as the official song of the NAACP in 1919.
Troy Vincent, the NFL’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations, wrote this about “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in a 2020 blog post:
“It has encouraged generations of Black people that God will lead us to the promises of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It’s as pertinent in today’s environment as it was when it was written.”
In 2021, the NFL began to include “Lift Every Voice and Sing” with the Super Bowl pregame. Alicia Keys, Mary Mary and Andra Day have previously performed the song for the Big Game.
Ledisi Fun Facts
Ledisi’s first name means “to bring forth” in Yoruba. Yoruba is a Niger-Congo language that is spoken primarily in Nigeria.
She self-released her debut album in 2000, entitled Soulslinger.
Ledisi has been in eight movies since 2008 and three television shows. She’s also been in six stage productions, including playing Dorothy in The Wiz.
She has authored two books about finding one’s self and the power of positivity while embracing life’s challenges.
Ledisi is a professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Read More About the Super Bowl
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Who Is Ledisi? Fun Facts About the 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' Performer at Super Bowl LIX.
