10 years after Twitter prediction, Demi Lovato's dream to sing national anthem at Super Bowl comes true

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On Feb. 7, 2010, Demi Lovato, who was only 17 years old at the time, predicted — via a tweet that went viral this weekend — that she would one day sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl. In the almost exactly 10 years since, the pop star has battled her demons and overcome incredible odds (Lovato has long been vocal about her history of depression, addiction, eating disorders, and self-harm), but this Sunday at Super Bowl LIV in Miami, she finally realized that lofty career goal.

Wearing a white pantsuit reminiscent of her blazer gown from last weekend’s 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, Lovato delivered a classy, definitely-not-lip-synched anthem performance, sans any unnecessary runs or ad-libs. It was a vocal masterclass from the diva who was more than qualified for her job several years ago, when she advised aspiring pop singers on The X Factor USA.

And it was a moment well worth the decade-long wait.

The audience at Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium roared with approval, as did Lovato’s fans, a.k.a. the Lovatics, on Twitter.

Lovato’s long-deferred “Star Spangled” triumph continues her comeback after her breakthrough at last Sunday’s above-mentioned Grammy Awards (her first public performance in a year and a half), where she stunningly premiered her new single, “Anyone.” The raw, heartbreaking piano ballad was written and recorded just four days before her opioid overdose in July 2018 and was, according to Lovato’s recent interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music’s Beats 1, "a cry for help.” Lovato’s new album, the much-anticipated follow-up to 2017’s Tell Me You Love Me, is expected to drop in the first half of 2020 and will further lyrically explore the brave pop star’s personal struggles.

Lovato’s emotional national anthem was preceded by gospel great Yolanda Adams’s stately “America the Beautiful,” accompanied by Miami’s Children’s Voice Chorus.

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