Andra Day was among the talent enlisted for the Super Bowl LVIII pregame show, held Sunday (Feb. 11) at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The Grammy-winning singer delivered a breathtaking rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” commonly referred to as the Black National Anthem.
Day’s appearance at the Super Bowl follows the release of her latest single “Probably,” released last Monday.
Regarding the song’s inspiration, Day said, “It came from the idea that there are three sides to every story: There are two people involved, if we’re looking at it that way. There’s this side, there’s this person’s side, and there’s the truth. I hate hearing women called crazy. Especially by their partners, especially by men on social media, no offense.”
She added, “I really wrote it with a relationship situation in mind — ‘I loved you, I supported you’ — but I wanted it to be funny. I always want to talk about heavy things with a sense of humor. Truthfully, that’s a cultural thing. I really wanted it to be funny because, as Black people, we use humor to survive. I actually think there’s power in being able to turn your pain into humor like that. It helps us to cope and to move on.”
“Probably” is the second single from Day’s upcoming third album, Cassandra. In January, she launched her new era with the chilling ballad “Where Do We Go.”
Cassandra, which takes Day’s first name, will follow 2021’s The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Music from the Motion Picture). The Grammy-winning soundtrack included Day’s original track “Tigress & Tweed,” which she co-wrote and co-produced with Raphael Saadiq.
Day starred as Billie Holiday in the film, which scored her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. While she didn’t win the Oscar, Day did take home a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
Last month, Day’s debut album, Cheers to the Fall, was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) with 500,000 equivalent units sold. Her breakout single, “Rise Up,” was also certified 4x platinum with over four million equivalent units sold.
Watch Andra Day perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing” below.
.@AndraDayMusic performs Lift Every Voice and Sing before #SBLVIII! pic.twitter.com/gNRZ9XyibV
— NFL (@NFL) February 11, 2024