To introduce this year’s Super Bowl, Mickey Guyton delivered a powerful, gospel-tinged rendition of the National Anthem to an excited crowd of fans. Before hitting the stage at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, Guyton was described as having the “voice of an angel.” In a floor-length, blue gown, her crystalline vocals soared, and she looked as if she was nearly moved to tears during the track.
Ahead of Guyton, Jhené Aiko kicked things off with a moving performance of “America the Beautiful” alongside a harpist.
This evening’s game in Los Angeles wasn’t the first time the “Black Like Me” singer has performed the “Star-Spangled Banner.” For the last six years, Guyton has sung it on numerous occasions including Nashville’s CRS conference and a Memorial Day concert in Washington D.C. Her Super Bowl set follows the release of her critically-acclaimed debut studio album Remember Her Name, which was released in September.
Earlier this month, Guyton expressed her excitement about the opportunity on Twitter saying, “I am shook, I am grateful, I am praise dancing. So excited to be singing the national anthem.” The “Star-Spangled Banner” has loomed large in Guyton’s life over the years. She revealed in a 2015 interview that watching LeAnn Rimes perform the national anthem during a Texas Rangers game as a child helped inspire her to become a country artist herself.
Tonight’s Big Game will feature the Cincinnati Bengals battling the Los Angeles Rams, and the halftime show will host a slew of hip-hop icons including Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar.
Sharleen Spiteri joined BBC Radio 2’s The Sara Cox Breakfast Show ahead of Texas taking the stage to launch the main live music programme at Radio 2 in the Park in Stirling.
Checking in from rehearsals, the Texas frontwoman spoke about getting ready for the band’s opening performance at City Park. Radio 2’s annual flagship festival takes place there from 11 to 13 September 2026. "I’m match fit because I’ve had a couple of days’ rehearsals," Spiteri said. "We’re kicking the whole weekend off, which we’re very much looking forward to, so everybody’s got to get ready to party."
Before the live acts take over, Friday’s DJ Pre-Party gets the weekend started with Radio 2 favourites Sara Cox, DJ Spoony, Gary Davies, Michelle Visage, and Rylan behind the decks.
Jo Whiley helped set the mood with a special programme from Stirling’s Tolbooth venue. Working with BBC Introducing Scotland, the broadcast put the spotlight on Scotland’s emerging music scene through performances and conversations with Fright Years, Alice Faye, and James Emmanuel.
Fright Years, a four member band from Edinburgh, played "Never Been Wrong" and offered their take on Simple Minds’ "Waterfront." Glasgow singer and songwriter Alice Faye, the BBC Introducing in Scotland 2026 winner, paired "Some Brief Encounter" with a rendition of Lulu’s arrangement of "I Started a Joke." James Emmanuel, who was born in Nigeria and now lives in Edinburgh, sang "Brothers & Sisters" before taking on Chaka Khan’s "I’m Every Woman."
"We’re all about celebrating BBC Introducing and all the music that’s come out of Scotland," Whiley told listeners. "It's about celebrating the local music scene and the incredibly important work that BBC Introducing does to support independent, up-and-coming artists."
Joining the conversation were Stephanie Cheape, presenter of BBC Introducing in Scotland, Tara McLoughlin, venue manager for Stirling Council, and student radio presenters representing the University of Stirling’s Air3 Radio.
Listeners can catch the complete interviews and live performances from the weekend’s programmes on BBC Sounds.
