Sing it loud! Demi Lovato kicked off Super Bowl LIV with a beautiful rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” on Sunday, February 2.
The “Sober” singer, 27, performed the national anthem ahead of the big game, alongside musician Christine Sun Kim, who did the anthem in American Sign Language. This year’s Super Bowl features the Kansas City Chiefs facing off against the San Francisco 49ers in Miami.
The “Sorry, Not Sorry” crooner belted out the iconic track, standing on the 50-yard-line, in a white belted dress. Once she sang “home of the brave,” the Chiefs fans in attendance rang out in a “Braves” cheer right alongside her.
Lovato announced her 2020 Super Bowl performance on January 16, 10 years after tweeting about her dream of being on that stage. “One day, I’m gonna sing the national anthem at a super bowl. Onnee day…” the “Sorry Not Sorry” singer wrote via Twitter in February 2010, manifesting her destiny. Hours before her performance on Sunday, she reposted the tweet on Instagram, writing, “Dreams really do come true y’all.”
The Camp Rock actress’ football performance marks the artist’s second live gig since she suffered a near-fatal drug overdose in July 2018. Her initial return to the stage came a week prior to the Super Bowl at the 2020 Grammy Awards on January 26, where Lovato sang her newest track, “Anybody.”
At the awards show, the former Disney star got choked up and started to cry as she belted out the emotional lyrics. She received a standing ovation from the audience for her heartfelt performance.
“Anyone” was written four days before Lovato was rushed to the hospital in 2018, where she spent nearly two weeks recovering and a subsequent three months in rehab. Celebrities showed support for Lovato via social media after hearing her song and seeing her triumphant return to the stage last week.
“I wish there were words to describe how beautiful, inspirational and DESERVED this moment was,” fellow Disney Channel alum Selena Gomez wrote in an Instagram Story at the time. “Demi, I’m so happy for you. Thank you for your courage and bravery.”
Pink tweeted her excitement about the new track after watching the comeback performance, writing, “Demi Lovato, you just tore me down. I’m so glad you’re here to sing those words, to sing like that.” She added: “You just gave the whole world a gift straight from the heart. Thank you.”
