This year’s Super Bowl was filled with a lot of watercooler talkable moments, and whether the conversation was about how Tom Brady, yet again, ran off with another win, or The Weeknd’s interesting performance, the highlight of the night was the National Anthem performance, sung by country artist Eric Church and R&B singer/songwriter Jazmine Sullivan.
Dressed in an all-white suit with embellishments, Giuseppe Zanotti four-inch platform heels, and a blinged out head piece may not have started the song off, but she sure brought the house down with her tantalizing vocals, adding in her signature runs. She stole the show for sure, and while their performance, which made history for being the first “National Anthem” duet in more than a decade, it wasn’t an accomplishment that everyone was necessarily “here for”, according to social media. Many felt that Jazmine was robbed of “her moment”, and that she should have been able to perform solo, because she’s that good of an artist and quite frankly, I agree. Still, the performance received rave reviews, and placed that spotlight back on the Philly songstress!
Another hot talker was Sullivan’s blinged out head piece that she wore during the actual performance —a tribute to the late iconic powerhouse vocalist, Whitney Houston who wore a similar head piece in the classic film “The Bodyguard, according to fans online. She also sported a tracksuit during her rehearsal, resembling Houston’s Super Bowl ensemble in 1991.
The performance by Sullivan has stirred up conversations of comparisons between Houston’s legendary rendition of the National Anthem that took place 30 years ago. It’s such a full circle moment, watching a great of my generation pay homage to a legend, who was as equally talented and could ‘sang her whole face off’!
Now let’s be clear, it’s no surprise that Ms. Sullivan gets down and can blow with the best of them! She recently released ‘Heaux Tales’, her first concept album that features a collection of songs detailing love, sex, loss relationships and growth. It’s been on repeat for me, and so her performance during kick-off didn’t surprise me, as much as it just confirmed that she deserves to be in that conversation and recognized as one of the top singers of our time.
“Reality Show” was Jazmine’s last full-length project, released back in 2015. Since then, she’s made a few appearances, dropping loosies here and there, like her song ‘Insecure’ with Bryson Tiller, or lending her beautiful vocals on Frank Ocean’s track ‘Endless’, but as for her own project, she was quiet. With her return to music with ‘Heaux Tales’, we learned that she’s been focusing on her health and wellness, watching her mom beat cancer, and just grow as a woman and artist. The project has created such a buzz, which drives home the point of why it was so important to see her take the stage at the Super Bowl. Regardless of how it may be perceived, especially with many taking a stance and boycotting the league over their treatment of Collin Kaepernick, it is still one of the biggest platforms for a performer.
I must say, it was refreshing to see the way Jazmine and even H.E.R. represented for Black women, showing that we don’t have to be half-dressed and spewing racy oversexualized lyrics to be heard and seen. The representation mattered, just as much as seeing Jazmine being given the recognition and being presented to a broader audience outside of her core fan base who is already aware of her vocal abilities. I’d also like to think that it’s the allure that surrounds Jazmine Sullivan; she’s obviously an attractive woman, but her talent is what has people talking, over everything else and I believe that that’s what was showcased during the Super Bowl and what made the moment even more special, overall, and for years to come.
Be sure to stream Jazmine’s latest EP ‘Heaux Tales’ wherever you choose to listen to music.
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