Till earth and heaven ring.
R&B breakout star Coco Jones provided a stunning performance of the black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” ahead of the 2026 Super Bowl matchup between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
The “ICU” hitmaker, 28, was joined by an eight-member orchestra during her pregame performance at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. She was dressed up in a white ensemble.
Jones’ performance came ahead of singer-songwriter Charlie Puth’s touching rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” and folk rock icon Brandi Carlile’s phenomenal performance of “America the Beautiful” – all ahead of Bad Bunny’s highly anticipated halftime show later in the evening.
“Super Bowl LX represents everything our championship game has become over 60 years – a day defined by football that brings people together from all over the world,” Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president of club business, international and league events, said ahead of Sunday’s big game.
“The pregame ceremony will honor the legacy of the game, while embracing where it’s headed next, reflecting the Super Bowl’s enduring position at the intersection of sports, culture and entertainment,” he added.
Initially written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was later set to music by his brother, John Rosamond Johnson.
The anthem was then adopted as the official song of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1919.
While “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was often invoked as a rallying cry during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, it was first performed at the Super Bowl in 2021 to promote social justice and inclusivity, and to honor black history.
Jones was tapped to sing this year’s rendition of the anthem back in November. R&B vocalist Ledisi, 53, performed last year’s rendition ahead of Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
At Apple Music’s Super Bowl Halftime Show press conference on Thursday, Jones explained that her goal for her performance was to “just be authentic.”
“With ‘Lift Every Voice,’ there’s so much hope and tenacity that I relate to and everyone does in their own journeys,” she shared. “So really listening to the lyrics and really sitting and feeling what they mean to me and naturally reacting to that.”
Jones admitted that she had “nerves” about the performance, but explained that she wanted to embrace the incredible honor of being asked to do the gig.
“I deserve the moment, and I deserve the opportunity,” she said. “Being able to have this light on the culture is a moment in itself. I’m just the vessel that is able to represent what this means to the culture. Thinking about younger me and what she needed to see. How she needed to be taught that she could walk into rooms.”
The “Just My Luck” singer also said that her whole family has been supportive, especially her mom.
“My mom has been at a loss for words for the first time,” she told host Zane Lowe. “She’s super excited, and I can’t wait for her to watch me sing in this moment.
Born in Columbia, SC, but raised in Lebanon, Tenn., Jones starred as a Disney Channel regular before catching the attention of R&B greats Janet Jackson and Beyoncé.
She scored a Grammy for best R&B performance for “ICU” in 2024, and her debut record, “Why Not More?,” was nominated for best R&B album at this year’s Grammy Awards last weekend.
As an actress, Jones starred as Kelsey in the Disney Channel sitcom “Good Luck Charlie” from 2012 through 2013 and had her breakthrough role as Roxy in the network’s 2012 TV musical “Let It Shine.”
More recently, Jones portrayed Hillary Banks in Peacock’s “Bel Air” for all four seasons from 2022 through 2025. She also appeared as herself during Season 27 of “The Voice” last year.
“I don’t know how to feel,” the “Here We Go (Uh Oh)” singer said regarding her Super Bowl LX performance during an interview with Apple Music back in December. “I’m still shocked. It’s just surreal, my life sometimes.”
“But I do think it’s an honor that they looked at me and said: Yup, she can represent culture in this worldwide moment,” she added. “It’s just crazy, and I’m super grateful about that.”
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