IDINA MENZEL TO SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM;
JOHN LEGEND TO SING “AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL”
AT SUPER BOWL XLIX ON NBC
IDINA MENZEL will sing the National Anthem and JOHN LEGEND will sing “America The Beautiful”
as part of Super Bowl XLIX pregame festivities at University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona on
Sunday, February 1, the NFL and NBC announced today. The performances will be televised live on
NBC prior to kickoff.
More than 112.2 million viewers in the U.S. watched last year’s Super Bowl, the most-watched
television program in history. The pregame show, including the National Anthem and “America The
Beautiful,” and Super Bowl XLIX will be broadcast worldwide.
In addition, actress TRESHELLE EDMOND will perform in American Sign Language the National
Anthem and “America The Beautiful.”
Menzel will make her Super Bowl debut. She is among many great performers who have been
honored with singing the Super Bowl National Anthem including: Renée Fleming, Alicia Keys, Billy
Joel, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, Harry Connick, Jr., Garth Brooks, Natalie Cole,
Vanessa Williams, Luther Vandross, Cher, Faith Hill, Mariah Carey, Dixie Chicks, Beyoncé Knowles,
Christina Aguilera and many more. (See below for a complete list of National Anthem performers
from past Super Bowls.)
Legend joins VICKI CARR (Super Bowl XI), RAY CHARLES (Super Bowl XXXV), MARY J. BLIGE &
MARC ANTHONY (Super Bowl XXXVI), ALICIA KEYS (Super Bowl XXXIX), FAITH HILL (Super
Bowl XLIII), QUEEN LATIFAH (Super Bowl XLIV & XLVIII) and LEA MICHELE (Super Bowl XLVI) in
singing “America The Beautiful” at Super Bowl. In 2013, JENNIFER HUDSON along with 26 children
from the Newton, CT community sang the song in advance of Super Bowl XLVII.
The NFL previously announced that KATY PERRY will headline the Pepsi Super Bowl XLIX Halftime
Show. The pregame and halftime shows are an NFL NETWORK PRODUCTION and will be
executive produced by RICKY KIRSHNER.
SUPER BOWL NATIONAL ANTHEM HONOR ROLL
Super Bowl
Performer
Super Bowl
Performer
Super Bowl I
Universities of Arizona & Michigan
Bands
Super Bowl XXVI
Harry Connick, Jr. (Signed by Lori Hilary)
Super Bowl II
Grambling University Band
Super Bowl
XXVII
Garth Brooks (Signed by Marlee Matlin)
Super Bowl III
Anita Bryant (Pledge of Allegiance by
Apollo Astronauts)
Super Bowl
XXVIII
Natalie Cole with Atlanta University Center
Chorus (Signed by Courtney Keel Foley)
Super Bowl IV
Al Hirt (Pledge of Allegiance by
Astronauts)
Super Bowl XXIX
Kathie Lee Gifford (Signed by Heather
Whitestone)
Super Bowl V
Tommy Loy (trumpeter)
Super Bowl XXX
Vanessa Williams (Signed by Mary Kim Titla)
Super Bowl VI
U.S. Air Force Academy Chorale
Super Bowl XXXI
Luther Vandross (Signed by Erika Schwarz)
Super Bowl VII
Andy Williams & Little Angels of Holy
Angels Church (Chicago) Pledge of
Allegiance by Apollo 17 crew
Super Bowl
XXXII
Jewel (Signed by Phyllis Frelich)
Super Bowl VIII
Charlie Pride
Super Bowl
XXXIII
Cher (Signed by Speaking Hands)
Super Bowl IX
Grambling University Band with Mardi
Gras Chorus
Super Bowl
XXXIV
Faith Hill (Signed by Briarlake Elementary
School Signing Choir)
Super Bowl X
Tom Sullivan
Super Bowl
XXXV
Backstreet Boys (Signed by Tom Cooney);
"America The Beautiful" performed by Ray
Charles
Super Bowl XI
Vicki Carr (America the Beautiful)
Super Bowl
XXXVI
Mariah Carey (Signed by Joe Narcisse);
“America The Beautiful” performed by Mary J.
Blige & Marc Anthony
Super Bowl XII
Phyllis Kelly of NE Louisiana State
University
Super Bowl
XXXVII
Dixie Chicks (Signed by Janet Maxwell);
“God Bless America” performed by Celine Dion
Super Bowl XIII
Colgate University Thirteen
Super Bowl
XXXVIII
Beyoncé Knowles (Signed by Suzanna Christy)
Super Bowl XIV
Cheryl Ladd
Super Bowl
XXXIX
More than 100 representatives from the four
branches of the military (Signed by Wesley
Tallent )
Super Bowl XV
Helen O’Connell
Super Bowl XL
Aaron Neville and Dr. John with Aretha Franklin
& Detroit based 150-member choir (Signed by
Angela LaGuardia of Michigan School for Deaf).
Super Bowl XVI
Diana Ross
Super Bowl XLI
Billy Joel (Signed by Marlee Matlin and Jason
Hay-Southwell)
Super Bowl XVII
Leslie Easterbrook
Super Bowl XLII
Jordin Sparks (Signed by A Dreamer)
Super Bowl XVIII
Barry Manilow
Super Bowl XLIII
Jennifer Hudson (Signed by Kristen Santos)
Super Bowl XIX
Children’s Choir of San Francisco
Super Bowl XLIV
Carrie Underwood (Signed by Kinesha Battles)
Super Bowl XX
Wynton Marsalis
Super Bowl XLV
Christina Aguilera (Signed by Candice Villesca)
Super Bowl XXI
Neil Diamond
Super Bowl XLVI
Kelly Clarkson (Signed by Rachel Mazique)
Super Bowl XXII
Herb Alpert
Super Bowl
XLVII
Alicia Keys (Signed by John Maucere)
Super Bowl XXIII
Billy Joel
Super Bowl
XLVIII
Renée Fleming (Signed by Amber Zion)
Super Bowl XXIV
Aaron Neville
Super Bowl XLIX
Idina Menzel (Signed by Treshelle Edmond)
Super Bowl XXV
Whitney Houston
About Idina Menzel
Tony Award-winning icon Idina Menzel has a diverse career that traverses stage, film, television and music.
Menzel’s voice can be heard as Elsa in Disney’s global box office smash Frozen, in which she sings the film’s
Oscar-winning song “Let It Go.” After Menzel’s performance of the multi-platinum song at the 86th annual
Academy Awards, she made history as the first person with both a Billboard Top 10 hit and a Tony Award for
acting. Menzel earned her first Tony nomination as Maureen in the Pulitzer Prize winner Rent, and won the
award for her performance as Elphaba in Wicked. Other notable roles include Rachel Berry’s mother, Shelby
Corcoran, on the hit television show Glee as well starring opposite Susan Sarandon and Amy Adams in
Disney’s Enchanted. Menzel starred in her own PBS special, Barefoot at the Symphony, with an
accompanying live album of the same name, and her highly successful international concert tour recently
included a sold-out performance at Radio City Music Hall. She will embark on a worldwide tour in 2015 that
includes Asia, UK and North America. The North American leg begins July 7, 2015 and includes famed venues
such as Jones Beach in New York and the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. In addition to cast albums,
Menzel’s prolific recording career includes the solo albums I Stand, Here and Still I Can’t Be Still. Her first-ever
Christmas album Holiday Wishes, released October 2014 on Warner Bros. Records, debuted at #1 on
Billboard’s Holiday Albums chart, broke into the top 10 on Billboard Top 200 Album Chart and received rave
reviews. Menzel can currently be seen on Broadway as Elizabeth in the original production If/Then, for which
she earned critical acclaim and her third Tony nomination, and performed “Always Starting Over” from the
musical at the 68th annual Tony Awards. For more information, please visit www.idinamenzel.com.
About John Legend
Ohio-born John Legend is a critically acclaimed, multi-award winning, platinum-selling singer-songwriter. His
work has garnered him nine Grammy Awards, three Soul Train Awards, a Golden Globe Award, the BET
Award for Best New Artist and the special Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. A graduate of
University of Pennsylvania where he studied English and African-American literature, Legend participated in a
wide range of musical activities while in college. During the same period, Legend was introduced to Lauryn Hill,
who hired him to play piano on her track "Everything Is Everything," and shortly thereafter he began to play
shows around the Philadelphia area, eventually expanding his audience base to New York, Boston, Atlanta
and Washington D.C. After college, Legend was introduced to then up-and-coming hip-hop artist Kanye West,
who quickly signed Legend to his G.O.O.D. Music imprint and hired him to sing vocal hooks on some of his
music. Legend started gaining momentum through a series of similar collaborations with established artists,
adding vocals to an impressive list of chart-topping hits including West's "All of the Lights," Jay-Z's "Encore"
and back-up vocals on Alicia Keys' 2003 song, "You Don't Know My Name." Legend’s debut album, Get Lifted,
was released in December of 2004 through Columbia Records. The critically acclaimed album spawned the
artist's first hit single, “Ordinary People,” and scored Legend multiple Grammy Awards in 2006, including Best
R&B Album, Best New Artist and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. The follow up was 2006’s platinumselling Once Again, which brought Legend another Grammy, Best Male R&B Performance, for his single
“Heaven,” and included collaborations with Kanye West, will.i.am and Raphael Saadiq. Legend’s next release
was 2008’s Evolver, led by the hit single "Green Light" featuring Andre 3000. His 2010 collaboration with the
Roots, Wake Up, won the Grammy for Best R&B Album a year later. Legend’s highly acclaimed fourth and
most current studio album Love In the Future debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 Chart and garnered
a 2014 Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album. Produced by Legend and longtime collaborators Kanye West
and Dave Tozer, the album’s break out hit, “All of Me,” is John’s highest selling and charting song to date,
reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, #1 on both Mainstream Top 40 and Rhythmic charts, and earning a
2015 Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance. Most recently, Legend won his first Golden
Globe Award for his song “Glory” with Common, that was featured in the film SELMA.
Throughout his career, John has worked to make a difference in the lives of others. In 2007, he launched the
Show Me Campaign (ShowMeCampaign.org), an initiative that focuses on education as a key to break the
cycle of poverty. The 2010 BET Humanitarian of the Year award, the 2009 CARE Humanitarian Award for
Global Change, the 2009 Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award from Africare and
the 2011 Harvard Foundation Artist of the Year Award recognize Legend's efforts and leadership in this arena.
John sits on the boards of The Education Equality Project, Teach for America, Stand for Children and the
Harlem Village Academies and co-chairs the Harlem Village Academies’ National Leadership Board.
About Treshelle Edmond
Treshelle Edmond is a deaf actress who has guest starred in two television shows: House, M.D. and Glee. She
also had a prominent role in a successful Deaf West Theater production of Spring Awakening. Born in San
Bernardino, California, she attended school in Birmingham, Alabama and in Los Angeles, California where she
was an All Star and All American Cheerleader. As a member of the All Star cheerleading team, Treshelle
cheered in the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. She regularly does community service with various
organizations like the Foundation for Junior Blind and the Zuma Beach clean up program. She has received
awards from the City of Los Angeles for her dedication to the DEAFestival-Los Angeles and her contributions
to the deaf and hard of hearing community.
CONTACTS:
NFL: Joanna Hunter, NFL; [email protected]
NBC: Dan Masonson, NBC; [email protected]
MENZEL: Kristen Foster, PMK•BNC; [email protected]
LEGEND: Dvora Englefield, 42 West; [email protected];
Amanda Silverman, 42 West; [email protected]
EDMOND: Lizzie Sorkin, National Association of the Deaf; [email protected]