Super Bowl LVI: Jhené Aiko performs ‘America the Beautiful’

There are a handful of traditions that are common prior to the start of the Super Bowl; “American the Beautiful” is one of them. It does not always get the same amount of attention as the National Anthem, but there have been some fantastic performances of it over the years.

This time around, singer-songwriter Jhené Aiko is taking on the duties at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and of course expectations are high. These performances are some of the most-watched of ANY vocal performance in America every year, and they are often the most scrutinized. Let’s face it: We live in a Twitter world where everyone has an opinion about each and every thing under the sun.

Let’s go ahead and also make the following clear: This is not an easy song to do at all. There are a TON of big notes, and you also have to find the right balance between making it sound traditional and bringing your own flavor to the table.

As for the performance – Aiko was introduced as LA’s own, which is another reminder that Super Bowls love to book local talent. Her vocals started a little bit subdued, which was a sign that she wasn’t out to necessarily make the song all about her. (Yet, couldn’t a sound engineer turned up her mic a little bit? It was a little bit low throughout.)

What was lovely about it, meanwhile, was the presence of the harp in the background. This was a very different sort of performance than we are used to from the Super Bowl, and there’s no doubt about that. Aiko did a fantastic job with it, but we’re not sure that it go viral after the fact. Its primary issue came mostly with the volume.

Related – Check out some more news when it comes to the Super Bowl right now, including the National Anthem

What did you think about Jhené Aiko and her performance of “America the Beautiful” at Super Bowl LVI?

Be sure to let us know right now in the attached comments! Once you do that, be sure to come back soon for other coverage of the big game. (Photo: NFL.)