For the last three years, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," often referred to as the Black national anthem, has been performed ahead of the Super Bowl and this year the song will once again be featured in the pregame performances. A pre-recorded video of Alicia Keys performing the song played ahead of the 2021 Super Bowl. Mary Mary performed the song from outside SoFi stadium the next year at Super Bowl LVI and last year, Andra Day performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing" ahead of the 2024 championship game.
This year, Grammy Award-winning artist Ledisi performed the song along with 125 New Orleans high school students to celebrate the hymn's 125th anniversary.
Here's a look at the performance:
.@ledisi and 125 New Orleans high school students perform “Lift Every Voice And Sing” to celebrate the hymn’s 125th anniversary. #SBLIX pic.twitter.com/zC7e0MOQbM
— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2025
The song was originally written by originally written by James Weldon Johnson in 1899. Johnson was an author, educator, lawyer and civil rights activist who aimed to write a poem to honor President Abraham Lincoln's birthday. His brother John Rosamond Johnson composed the music for the poem turned hymn, as James considered it. The song has been an important piece of work for over a century.
Ledisi is a 15-time Grammy nominee and has a Grammy win for Best Traditional R&B Performance for "Anything For You." She taken the stage at many major locations including The White House, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.
Otis Jones IV performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing" in American Sign Language (ASL).
