Rihanna isn’t the only musical act to look forward to at this year’s Super Bowl.
“Abbott Elementary” star and Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph is officially booked as part of Super Bowl LVII’s pregame entertainment.
Singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the multihyphenate performer will be joined on the program by country star Chris Stapleton singing the national anthem and singer, songwriter and producer Babyface singing “America the Beautiful.”
In addition to earning an Emmy for her performance as the devoted, veteran elementary school teacher Barbara Howard on “Abbott Elementary,” Ralph is also a Golden Globe nominee and Critics Choice winner. The ABC sitcom from Quinta Brunson brought the performer back into the spotlight after three decades of work across mediums – and the Super Bowl is hardly the first time she’s put her singing to good use. Ralph is also renowned for originating the role of Deena Jones on Broadway in “Dreamgirls.”
Ralph memorably made headlines at last year’s Emmy Awards when, while accepting the trophy for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series, she belted out an impromptu rendition of Dianne Reeves’ 1994 song “Endangered Species.”
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) will also be on hand at the Super Bowl next month to provide American Sign Language interpretations of each performance. “CODA” Oscar winner Troy Kotsur will sign the national anthem for Stapleton; deaf performer Justina Miles will sign “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and also provide the ASL rendition of the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show; and Colin Denny, a Deaf Native American, will sign “America the Beautiful.”
The NFL previously announced that Rihanna will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show which will be produced by DPS with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins serving as executive producers, and Hamish Hamilton serving as director.
Super LVII will kick off at the State Farm Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 12 and be broadcast on Fox.
