Country music star Mickey Guyton belted out the national anthem to millions of viewers on the Super Bowl stage. But some who aren’t familiar with her body of work might be wondering who she is.
Guyton sang the national anthem following R&B hitmaker Jhené Aiko singing “America the Beautiful” at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
The performances come before the championship matchup and halftime show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar. The performances and game will air on NBC.
Actress Sandra Mae Frank performed the national anthem and “America the Beautiful” in American sign language.
Guyton made history as the first Black woman to earn a Grammy nomination in a country category and first Black solo woman to host the ACM Awards. She’s a four-time Grammy nominee who is known for her hit song “Black Like Me.”
Aiko, a six-time Grammy nominee, is one of R&B’s top stars and has achieved multi-platinum status with songs like “Sativa,” “While We’re Young” and “The Worst.”
Guyton, a 38-year-old performer who was raised in Texas, began singing at a young age in church. She has been influenced by Dolly Parton, CeCe Winans, Whitney Houston and LeAnn Rimes, her website says.
After graduating high school, she moved to California and began studying at Santa Monica College while working as a professional singer. While in LA, she was introduced to country music industry professionals who helped launch the careers of Faith Hill and Keith Urban.
She was nominated for her first Academy of Country Music Award for New Female Vocalist in 2016.
Here is her Super Bowl performance.
The Super Bowl matchup is decided after Championship Sunday wraps up. The Bengals defeated the Chiefs to win the AFC title and the Rams defeated the 49ers to win the NFC title.
