Its official Game day is almost here! Super Bowl LVI and we always look forward to the amazing performances on the night withJay-Z's Roc Nation company executively producing the halftime show for a third year. Jesse Collins returns as an executive producer.
Gospel duo Mary Mary will be accompanied by the LA Phil's YOLA — which stands for Youth Orchestra Los Angeles — to perform "Lift Every Voice and Sing." The song will be conducted by Thomas Wilkins, the principal conductor of the LA Phil's Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Its been a while since we saw the Atkins duo perform or release music together. Fans are definitely in for an amazing treat.
The song is very significant as its often referred to as "The Black National Anthem," Lift Every Voice and Sing was a hymn written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900. His brother, John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954), composed the music for the lyrics. A choir of 500 schoolchildren at the segregated Stanton School, where James Weldon Johnson was principal, first performed the song in public in Jacksonville, Florida to celebrate President Abraham Lincoln's birthday.
Erica Campbell, one half of Mary Mary weighed in below
"So excited to represent our hometown, INGLEWOOD, at #SBLVI with our performance of Lift Every Voice and Sing. We’re honored to share this special moment with YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles)"
The performance will take place Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, before the championship matchup and halftime show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar. The performances and game will air on NBC.