Various performances of the national anthem in 2020 fulfilled artists’ childhood dreams, signaled their medical recoveries and emphasized their missions to support Black lives.
Demi Lovato predicted her megawatt performance at the Super Bowl LIV when she was just 17 years old. “One day, I’m gonna sing the national anthem at a super bowl. Onnnee dayyy,” the now-28-year-old pop star promised on Twitter a decade ago on Feb. 7, 2010. And then she went ahead and did back in February.
One day, I'm gonna sing the national anthem at a super bowl. Onnnee dayyy….
— Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) February 7, 2010
After recovering from COVID-19, Rita Wilson proved she was back in good spirits by singing the patriotic song at NASCAR’s iRacing Pro Invitational Series Race.
Chloe x Halle and Alicia Keys spoke directly to the Black Lives Matter movement at the NFL season kick-off, as the R&B duo honored George Floyd and Breonna Taylor with their T-shirts and the R&B singer pivoted to perform a moving rendition of the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
In an interview with Billboard last month, Keys penned a letter explaining why she chose to perform at the NFL kick-off and how she launched a $1 billion endowment fund for Black-owned businesses that the league will contribute to. “My initial reaction was to decline because of some of the NFL’s past decisions. Yet I realized I HAVE to use my platform, we all need to use our platforms, every chance we get to press for racial equity,” she wrote.
So which national anthem performance from this year is your favorite? Vote below!