Every year, the music of the Super Bowl becomes a pop cultural talking point as the nation—and really the entire world—pauses on a Sunday evening in early February to take in the bigggest sporting event that the U.S. has to offer. Much of that conversation centers on the halftime show, but the singer for the national anthem is also a significant stage for any performer fortunate enough to be asked.
Previous Super Bowls have featured household names as anthem performers and this year is another young musical legend-in-the-making in Jon Batiste
What should you know about Jon Batiste?
Jon Batiste could be familiar to Super Bowl audiences in a number of ways, depending on a person's musical tastes and media consumption. Batiste is an acclaimed musician, composer, and bandleader whose skills have been in demand in a wide array of outlets and arm forms.
Born in 1986 in Louisiana, Batiste released his first album at the early age of 17 and went on to study at Juilliard. Batiste toured the world as a composer and performer and eventually formed his own band, Stay Human, in 2005. That group, with Batiste as bandleader, was hired to direct the musical efforts on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2015.
Over the years, Batiste has remained an incredibly active and in-demand musician whether alone or with Stay Human. He's earned 22 Grammy nominations, including a win for Album of the Year in 2021 for the release of We Are. He's also earned an Oscar for his music featured on the Pixar film Soul (2020).
Batiste's own collaborators include a Who's Who in music—including luminaries like Wynton Marsalis, Prince, Beyonce, and Stevie Wonder. Time Magazine featured Batiste as one of their 100 Most Influential People in 2022.
Who are prior singers of the National Anthem at the Super Bowl?
The history of anthem performers on the biggest stage of American sports is a varied one, and a host of impressive names have taken on the responsibility in recent years. Here's a look at the last several performers of the national anthem in recent Super Bowls.
Year | Super Bowl | Anthem Performer |
---|---|---|
2025 | Super Bowl LIX | Jon Batiste |
2024 | Super Bowl LVIII | Reba McEntire |
2023 | Super Bowl LVII | Chris Stapleton |
2022 | Super Bowl LVI | Mickey Guyton |
2021 | Super Bowl LV | Eric Church & Jazmine Sullivan |
2020 | Super Bowl LIV | Demi Lovato |
2019 | Super Bowl LIII | Gladys Knight |
2018 | Super Bowl LII | Pink |
2017 | Super Bowl LI | Luke Bryan |
2016 | Super Bowl L | Lady Gaga |
2015 | Super Bowl XLIX | Idina Menzel |
When and where is Super Bowl 59?
Super Bowl 59 is scheduled to kick off on Sunday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m. ET in the Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans.