Watch Empress Of Soul Gladys Knight Nail ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ At The Super Bowl

Super Bowl LIII, with the Los Angeles Rams going head-to-head against the New England Patriots, has officially kicked off with the rendition of the National Anthem. Given that the game’s taking place at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, what representative of Atlanta could possibly be equipped to belt out the Star Spangled Banner? That would be Gladys Knight, the seven-time Grammy award winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer affectionately known as the “Empress of Soul,” who told CBS Sports that she’s thrilled to represent the Gate City. She fully delivered with this rendition of the national anthem.

Prior to Knight materializing on camera, fellow Atlanta natives Chloe x Halle’s delivered their rendition of “America the Beautiful.” Then Knight (wearing a white dress and glittery boots) possessed the field, the stadium, and the at-home audience with her shattering delivery. In doing so, she follows former Super Bowl anthem performers Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, Neil Diamond, Cher, and Kelly Clarkson.

Later on during halftime, we’ll see Maroon 5, Travis Scott, and Big Boi do their thing, apparently with a “SpongeBob SquarePants” song in the mix. 2019 is weird, man, and we’re not simply talking about how people actually enjoy watching the commercials, one evening per year.

×