All eyes were on country superstar Chris Stapleton as the Kentucky-raised singer-songwriter took center stage at Super Bowl LVII to perform the National Anthem.
Though Stapleton had previously voiced hesitation over performing the anthem — one of the most notoriously difficult songs to sing, even for the most gifted singers, the "Tennessee Whiskey" singer admitted that he would face his fears to perform the anthem at the Super Bowl.
"I think I said it because I thought I wouldn't get asked," Stapleton told The Tennessean. "...The national anthem is not an easy song for singers. It's one that can go horribly wrong, as we've seen many times in the past. Hopefully, it won't happen for me, knock on wood."
Of course, Stapleton needn't have worried. Clad in all black and sunglasses and accompanied by his guitar, the Grammy-winning artist delivered a chill-inducing rendition of the anthem that left several members of both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs in tears.
Stapleton was joined by Troy Kotsur, who won an Academy Award for his performance in CODA, to provide American sign language for the performance.
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Stapleton's performance comes just days after he shared the stage with Stevie Wonder at the 2023 Grammys.
In addition to Stapleton, the game was opened by performances from Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph, who sang "Lift Every Voice and Sing," and Babyface, who performed "America the Beautiful."
This year marked the third consecutive year that a country artist has performed the "Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl. In 2021, Eric Church performed the anthem with Jazmine Sullivan. Last year, Mickey Guyton performed it.
Super Bowl LVII kicked off at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona at 6:30 ET. Rihanna will perform during the game's halftime show.
