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R&B star Ledisi performed on one of the biggest stages in her Grammy-winning career with a compelling live rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” during the pre-game festivities for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. The occasion marked the fifth time that the song — also known as the Black national anthem — has been performed at the Super Bowl.
Dressed in a white pantsuit complemented by a floor-length long-sleeved coat, Ledisi was accompanied by a yellow-robed choir of 121 students from schools in the greater New Orleans area. Starting off slow and measured, the singer-songwriter-actress built up to a soaring crescendo that ended in her full-bodied voice sustaining the note on the last word in the song’s final verse: “Let us march on till victory is won.”
Earning hearty applause, her moving performance underscored the song’s message of hope, faith, resilience and unity amid the recent Los Angeles wildfires, last month’s act of terrorism on Bourbon Street in New Orleans and current challenges to such initiatives as DEI.
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While not a household name for some, New Orleans native Ledisi is heralded among fans for her potent vocals and colorful riffs integrated within a spirited fusion of R&B, soul, gospel and jazz. She counts legendary artist and civil rights activist Nina Simone as one of her major influences. Ledisi Sings Nina, released in 2021, was nominated for a Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album and an NAACP Image Award for outstanding jazz vocal album. Ledisi also portrayed another civil rights advocate, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, in two projects: the 2022 biopic Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story and in 2014’s Ava DuVernay-directed film Selma.
Ledisi recently released a new single “Love You Too.” A 2021 Grammy winner for best traditional R&B performance for “Anything for You,” Ledisi released 11th studio album, Good Life, last March.
In a statement prior to her pregame performance, Ledisi commented, “Performing at the Super Bowl is one of the most significant moments of my career. I’m honored to bring my voice and my story to such a monumental event, and I hope to inspire unity and pride with this performance.”
After partnering with Roc Nation in 2019, the NFL inaugurated its Super Bowl pre-game tradition of including “Lift Every Voice” in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Alicia Keys first performed the song in a video that premiered for the NFL in September 2020 that was later re-aired ahead of Super Bowl LV in 2021. Since then, gospel duo Mary Mary, Sheryl Lee Ralph and, last year, Andra Day have delivered their own interpretations on the global sports stage.
The hymn originated as a poem written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900, with its verses paired with music composed by Johnson’s brother, John Rosamond Johnson. The song was later adopted by the NAACP as a clarion call during the civil rights movement of the ‘50s and ‘60s.
Preceding Kendrick Lamar’s highly anticipated Super Bowl LIX halftime performance, the pregame lineup also included performances by Lady Gaga (“Hold My Hand”), Lauren Daigle and Trombone Shortly (“America the Beautiful”) and Jon Batiste (“The Star-Spangled Banner”).
Super Bowl LIX opened with a bang. Before the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles hit the field at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday (Feb. 9), Lady Gaga performed her Top Gun tune “Hold My Hand” surrounded by rapt revelers on the city’s infamous Bourbon Street. Her performance honored victims of the […]
Lady Gaga cast a spell at the 2025 Grammys with “Abracadabra,” and for the 2025 Super Bowl, she showed up to bring audiences together with another rousing performance.
In a special segment ahead of Super Bowl LIX, Gaga appeared alongside sports legends Tom Brady, Michael Strahan, Terry Bradshaw and others in a pre-filmed segment on New Orleans’ iconic Bourbon Street to pay tribute to the victims of multiple disasters over the last year, including the New Orleans terror attack, Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles wildfires.
“Here on Bourbon Street, always the heart and soul of New Orleans, this year began with a terror attack that tried to shatter its spirit,” Strahan said while walking down the iconic thoroughfare sporting a “NOLA Strong” shirt. Brady, wearing an L.A. Fire Department T-shirt, joined in, adding that New Orleans’ resilience is “matched by the resolve of our country. When tragedy strikes, we don’t break — we come together, we rise above and we never let evil win.”
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The camera then cut to Gaga — sporting a wide-brimmed white hat and long white lace dress — seated at a piano and surrounded by a crowd in the middle of Bourbon Street. The singer launched into a stripped down performance of her Top Gun: Maverick single “Hold My Hand.” With various police officers and firefighters looking on, Gaga drove home the song’s inspirational message: “So cry tonight/ But don’t you let go of my hand,” she sang. “You can cry every last tear/ I won’t leave ’til I understand/ Promise you’ll just hold my hand.”
The segment aired just before the Philadelphia Eagles squared off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2025 Super Bowl. Music fans around the world will be tuning into the program to watch as Kendrick Lamar takes center stage at Caesars Superdome for the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, featuring special guest SZA.
In the pre-show, meanwhile, in addition to Gaga, performers included Ledisi, Harry Connick Jr., Lauren Daigle and Jon Batiste to deliver annual renditions of the national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “America the Beautiful.”
Watch Gaga’s performance of “Hold My Hand” above.
Lauren Daigle was joined by her fellow Louisiana native Trombone Shorty for a New Orleans-flavored take on “America the Beautiful” ahead of the 2025 Super Bowl. Trombone Shorty kicked things off with a wailing trombone line before Daigle began singing the patriotic standard. After the first verse, we got one more trombone solo before Daigle […]
Cardi B was in full party mode ahead of Super Bowl LIX, twerking her way through a night of festivities.
In the hours leading up to the highly anticipated matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome, the 32-year-old rapper celebrated at local clubs.
On Saturday (Feb. 8), Cardi shared a series of videos on her Instagram Story, showing off her moves in a form-fitting beige dress. In the clips, she’s seen bent over, delivering an epic twerk at a mystery spot in the Big Easy.
In another video, Cardi is seen in what looks like a hotel room, preparing to head to her next club destination with a group of friends. “I’m so sleepy and here comes miss meanie P,” she captioned the clip, featuring a friend who impatiently urged, “OK, let’s go!”
The fun didn’t stop there. The next video shows Cardi back at the club, grooving to the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” with a mischievous look. “The thoughts in my head be soo bad,” she wrote over the video.
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Switching up her look, Cardi dons a shiny dark gray dress as she gives fans a peek into her night at Beacher’s Madhouse at Republic NOLA. In the video, she showcases a Michael Jackson impersonator and sprays the crowd with a fog cannon. It looks like the rapper had a late night, with one video timestamped at approximately 4:30 a.m.
Her fun night comes after the release of her highly anticipated new track “Toot It Up,” a collaboration with Pardison Fontaine that dropped on Friday.
The two last teamed up on 2018’s “Backin’ It Up,” which they performed together at the 2018 BET Hip Hop Awards. The song reached No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and cracked the top 20 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (No. 18) and Rhythmic Airplay (No. 11).
Pardi has also co-written several of Cardi’s biggest hits, including “Bodak Yellow,” “I Like It” with Bad Bunny and J Balvin, “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion, and “Up,” as well as much of her Grammy-winning debut album, Invasion of Privacy.
“Toot It Up” is just one of the new tracks Cardi has on the horizon. Earlier this week, a trailer for the upcoming Smurfs movie teased a new track “Higher Love” by Desi Trill, featuring DJ Khaled, Cardi B, Natania and Subhi.
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Source: Cetaphil / Cetaphil
Remember when you had to watch the Super Bowl just to see the actual Super Bowl commercials? Not anymore.
Being that brands are paying millions for their spots during the Big Game, many have said “later” for any anticipation and have been touting their commercials before players have even stepped on the field for practice.
The spots have plenty of range, too. For example, you have Meg Ryan and Billie Crystal reuniting to make magic based on a movie that dropped 35 years ago, and then you have Lil Wayne basically announcing his new album via a commercial for lotion. One throughline we do appreciate, when done well, is the use of Hip-Hop music (see Pfize with LL Cool J and Michelob Ultra with Rick Ross).
We’ll keep tabs on any commercials that actually debut during the Super Bowl and will add here accordingly. But for the right now, here are all the best Super Bowl 25 commercials. And some “meh,” too—for archival purposes.
1. Pfizer
Props for the usage of LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out.” F*ck cancer, infinitely.
2. Michelob ULTRA – The ULTRA Hustle
Rick Ross is getting a check, and Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara are basically scammers—watch out for Sabrina Ionescu, Randy Moss, and Ryan Crouser.
3. Bud Light – Big Men on Cul-de-Sac
Feauturing Shane Gillis, Post Malone, and Peyton Manning, we respect it due to the clutch use of Huey Lewis & The News music.
4. Google Pixel – Dream Job
Love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.
5. Hellmann’s – When Harry Met Sally Reunion
The fact that Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal reunited to push Hellmann’s mayonnaise in homage to When Harry Met Sally is textbook example of the jokes write themselves.
6. Häagen-Dazs – Not So Fast, Not So Furious
Apparently Häagen-Daz has a budget for Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez and Vin Diesel to parody The Fast & The Furious. What a time.
7. Cetaphil – We’re all a Lil Sensitive
You gotta give Lil Wayne props for being able to laugh at himself after the whole Why Kendrick and not met at the Super Bowl brouhaha. And he managed to sneak in a Carter VI announcement.
8. STōK Cold Brew Coffee | Hollywood Magic
Channing Tatum getting his dance on to C+C Music Factory for cold brew coffee, and to inspire soccer celebration, wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card.
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Adan Manzano, a Kansas City reporter with Telemundo, was found dead in his hotel room in New Orleans over the weekend. Police have arrested a suspect in the case, who had a history of drugging men and robbing them.
NBC Sports reports that Adan Manzano, 27, was in New Orleans on behalf of Telemundo in Kansas City to cover Super Bowl LIX. The outlet adds that Manzano was seen on surveillance video from the hotel camera feeds from Feb. 5 that showed him walking into his room early on the morning of his death with the suspect, with the video showing the suspect leaving Manzano’s room unaccompanied.
Area police announced the arrest of Danette Colbert, 48, and a resident of Sidell, La. Colbert was arrested for attempting to use Manzano’s credit cards at several stores, and a subsequent search of Colbert’s home turned up Manzano’s phone, other credit cards, and drugs.
Source: Kenner Police Department / Kenner Police Department
Colbert was listed by authorities as a “career criminal” and was involved in what they also framed as “fraud schemes” in recent times. In 2022, Colbert was twice arrested in separate matters on felony charges of grand larceny and administering a drug to aid in a felony crime. The pattern explained by the outlet was that Colbert would target and drug men and then steal their personal items. In both cases, the men did not want to go on record and testify against her. It isn’t known if those cases occurred in New Orleans proper.
Telemundo KC took to their Facebook page and wrote a moving tribute in honor of Manzano.
“[Adan] was an exceptional professional and a rising star whose dedication and talent reflected excellence in his work. We will deeply miss Adam, his passion for sports and the contributions he made to the local community,” a portion of the post read.
Adan Manzano was a widower and single father, raising a 2-year-old daughter.
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Photo: Getty/Telemundo KC/Kenner Police
Less than a week after stealing the show at the Grammy Awards and winning the best rap album trophy, Doechii brought her magnetic stage presence to the Big Easy with a late night performance at the House of Verizon activation during Super Bowl weekend in New Orleans on Saturday night (Feb. 8). Explore Explore See […]
Of all the ultra-familiar songs appearing in Super Bowl LIX ads — from Bruce Springsteen‘s “Born to Run” to Van Halen‘s “Panama” to Louis Armstrong‘s “What a Wonderful World” to Seal‘s “Kiss from a Rose” — the most sentimental may be the Bellamy Brothers‘ “Let Your Love Flow,” used in a Budweiser spot about a horse rescuing a keg from a raging river and rolling it into a bar.
It’s sentimental, anyhow, for Concord Music Publishing. In the early ’70s, Larry Williams, a Neil Diamond roadie, penned the track, and a producer put it in the hands of the Bellamy Brothers. Their breezy, mid-tempo version hit No. 1 in 1976. By then, Williams had signed with a new publisher, Bicycle Music, and as the company changed hands over the years, including a sale to Concord in 2015, “Let Your Love Flow” endured as a sort of Song Zero. “That was literally the very first song technically signed to Concord,” says Brooke Primonte, the company’s executive vp of global sync. “It’s very dear to everybody who’s been here since day one.”
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The song’s story, and its timeless feel, exemplify the Super Bowl synchs this year; viewers won’t hear much contemporary music a la 2024’s Ice Spice-enhanced Starry spot featuring the rapper’s hit “Deli.” H.E.R.‘s version of “Born to Run” is in a Dove commercial about empowering young girls to appreciate their bodies; “Panama” is in an ad starring Glen Powell as a dad reading “Goldilocks” to kids and fantasizing about fighting dragons in Dodge Rams; Shaboozey sings “What a Wonderful World” as Nerds characters parade around him in New Orleans; and in a surreal, star-studded Mountain Dew spot, Seal appears as … a seal.
“These are songs pretty much guaranteed to accomplish what the agency or brand are trying to do,” says Tom Eaton, senior vp of music for advertising at Universal Music Publishing Group, which has represented Seal for more than seven years. “They’re choosing songs familiar to a wide assortment of people. They can’t miss.” Adds Frank Di Minno, vp of creative sync at Warner Chappell, one of the publishers for “Panama”: “This was definitely the catalog Super Bowl.”
The Dove spot is the first-ever commercial to use Springsteen’s signature 1975 anthem, more than three years after he sold his catalog to Sony Music Publishing for $550 million. Springsteen retains approval rights for the song, and after Brian Monaco, Sony Music Publishing’s president/global chief marketing officer, shared the spot with the singer-songwriter’s team a month or two ago, they approved it quickly. “There’s definitely demand for his catalog, as well as other ones we’ve purchased — we have Paul Simon and Queen,” Monaco says, adding that with Super Bowl ads costing a reported $7 million to $8 million, “brands want to get the most bang for their buck by using songs that people know.”
As a result, synchs, a multibillion-dollar industry for music publishers, are especially expensive for brands this year. According to music business sources, costs on the publishing side range from $400,000 to $2.5 million, not counting the separate fees for licensing master recordings.
“The numbers are showing [that] people are streaming classic music at very high rates, as opposed to music of the last 10 or 15 years, just in their daily lives,” says Marty Silverstone, president of global sync for publisher Primary Wave, whose Super Bowl synchs this year include Smokey Robinson‘s “Cruisin’” for Haagen-Dazs and Huey Lewis & the News‘ “The Power of Love” for Bud Light. “I’m seeing, even more than usual, the appetite for nostalgia-driven music.”
Super Bowl ads often mirror the times, and this year’s familiar-songs trend may have deeper cultural relevance. “The country is trying to find its way in very challenging times,” says Dan Rosenbaum, vp of commercial licensing for BMG, whose three synchs include a share of “What a Wonderful World.” “Using a song that has resonance from a time that was simpler gives a certain comfort to the viewer.” Adds Steve Nalbert, vp of sync licensing and digital for Round Hill Music, another “What a Wonderful World” publisher: “More than ever, we need unifying music that bring us together, rather than pulls us apart. Luckily, the brands realize that, too.”
Billboard asked top publishers to tally their own synchs scheduled to appear as national spots during the game — including movie and TV trailers but not Fox broadcast promos, teasers or halftime show performances. Sony Music Publishing scored the most, with 14; Universal Music Publishing Group had 11; Warner Chappell, seven; Primary Wave, six; Kobalt, five; Reservoir Media, four; Concord and BMG, three apiece; and Round Hill, one.
This year’s trend towards familiar songs does not mean all the songs are older classics. Childish Gambino‘s 2018 anti-racist anthem “This Is America” appears in a Hims & Hers ad about a weight-loss drug: “Historically, Donald [Glover, who performed and co-wrote the song] and his team have been pretty selective about where they license ‘This Is America.’ They don’t pursue much,” says Rob Christensen, executive vp/head of global sync for Kobalt, the rapper’s publisher. “They thought this one was a good one to pursue.” (A few days before the game, the Partnership for Safe Medicines and two U.S. senators asked the FDA to block the ad due to not disclosing potential side effects.)
Reservoir Media’s synch total includes one “contemporary hip-hop song,” according to Scott Cresto, the publisher’s executive vp of synchronization and marketing, although he declined to reveal it before the game. Instead, he pivoted to a classic: A Michelob Ultra spot starring Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara playing pickleball with famous athletes (and not-so-famous pickleball stars) synchs to “Papa Loves Mambo,” a Perry Como hit that dominated the Billboard charts in 1954. The brand, he says, requested in its brief “something that played with humor, that a certain generation identified with, but all generations would recognize it.”
“It’s definitely cyclical,” Cresto adds. “There have been years where [brands] are looking for more contemporary pop hits. This year and last year have definitely leaned more catalog.”
Super Bowl LIX is just days away from taking over Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday (Feb. 9), and some of the biggest stars in music are coming along for the ride. The most highly anticipated performance, naturally, will be Kendrick Lamar’s Apple Music Halftime Show performance, executive produced by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in […]