Reba McEntire Will Sing National Anthem At Super Bowl LVIII

This will be the first time the Oklahoma native has performed at the Super Bowl.

We don’t yet know which teams will face off at the Super Bowl on February 11 in Las Vegas but we do now know which musical acts we can look forward to entertaining us during the pregame show. The NFL announced Thursday that the National Anthem will be performed by none other than Reba McEntire. CBS Mornings was the first to break the news and McEntire spoke with anchors Gayle King and Nate Burleson.

The Oklahoma native divulged that when her manager called to say she’d been asked to perform the patriotic tune, her first response was “Oh my gosh, well let me think about that.” But she said that her boyfriend, Rex Linn exuberantly interjected with a “Yes! Absolutely she’ll do it.” She laughed heartily while recounting the story and noting that Linn is a huge football fan.

While this is the first time McEntire will be performing at the Super Bowl, as far as singing the "The Star-Spangled Banner,” this is not her first rodeo.

“I’ve been singing the National Anthem, well a long time. But I started singing in 1974 singing the National Anthem at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. I sang the National Anthem there for 10 years.”

King noted that many say that this particular tune is “one of the hardest songs to sing,” and she asked the country music icon how she prepares for such an occasion. McEntire answered by saying “You just warm up like you do a concert and sing it about five or six times and get in there and do it!”

McEntire took to social media and paid homage to her past experience as she celebrated today’s announcement.

The post says, “How I met y’all. I’m still here,” with side by side photos of McEntire singing at the rodeo in 1974 and the official announcement from the NFL. Other big stars joining McEntire in the pregame show include Post Malone singing “America the Beautiful,” and Andra Day singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Both the pregame show and the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show will feature performances in American Sign Language. As McEntire belts out the anthem, CODA actor Daniel Durant will perform it in ASL.

The big game will air on CBS on Sunday, February 11. We know we’ll be tuning in to watch, will you?

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