Before Kendrick Lamar and special guest SZA take over New Orlean's Caesars Superdome for the highly-anticipated Halftime show, Jon Batiste sang the National Anthem.

Seven-time Grammy winner Jon Batiste performed the National Anthem before Super Bowl LIX, delivering a unique and respectful rendition.

Positioned at midfield, Batiste played a white grand piano with multicolored designs. His version of the anthem featured a bluesy touch while maintaining its traditional phrasing.

Batiste added subtle piano flourishes as he sang. For the finale, he introduced a jazzy vamp, stretching the words "land of the free" with extended vocals. His performance fit the New Orleans theme of the event and set the tone for the game.

His interpretation showcased his musical skill and brought a fresh take to the Super Bowl's pre-game tradition.

Hailing from Metairie, Louisiana—just outside New Orleans—Batiste's performance was a homecoming moment for the celebrated musician, best known for his nearly decade-long tenure as bandleader and musical director on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

Batiste's performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" marks his first appearance at the Super Bowl as a performer.

Who Is Jon Batiste?

The Metairie, Louisiana, native, who grew up in Kenner, a suburb 15 miles west of New Orleans, is an Oscar and Grammy Award-winning artist.

Batiste, who attended The Juilliard School, has released six studio albums. His 2021 album, We Are, won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and Best R&B Album in 2022. Two years before, Batiste co-composed the score for Pixar's movie Soul, earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for his work on the movie, an Oscar for Best Original Score, and a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.

Speaking of the Grammys, Batiste, 38, and his wife Suleika Jaouad skipped out of the 2025 ceremony, hosted in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 2.

The couple shared a joint post on Instagram the day after the Grammys, celebrating their wins for their work on American Symphony, a 2023 documentary that explores a year of Batiste's life and his wife's struggle with leukemia.

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Alongside a smiling selfie, they wrote in the caption: "On this lazy Sunday, life is good! We're so honored to win the Grammy for Best Music Film (and also for Song Written For Visual Media too!). We couldn't make it to the ceremony but we're beaming love from our couch to yours, and sending gratitude to all who made this film possible."

Jaoud revealed her cancer had returned for "the third time" in an Instagram post in December 2024.

"I have a little end-of-year ritual: I go through my entire camera roll from beginning to end. I did it yesterday, and I cried and felt overwhelming gratitude," she began in the caption.

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"When you learn for the third time you have cancer, it's easy to feel hopeless. But my photos showed me that even in the hardest moments, there were so many joys. That life is not a monolith. That our forever work is to learn to hold the brutal and beautiful in the same palm."

Jaoud described how her "health was in flux," and "felt healthier than ever only to learn my leukemia was back. I had to adjust to a grueling monthly chemo regimen. My dad stepped in as my caregiver and I've cherished our one-on-one time."

"And then there's my greatest joy — my husband @jonbatiste who's been by my side at every turn on the roller coaster," the 36-year-old continued. "I didn't know a love like this was possible. He makes everything better."

Per AOL.com, the NFL picked artists for Super Bowl LIX who had ties to The Big Easy and Louisiana as a whole, including Batiste and fellow Louisiana natives Lauren Daigle and Trombone Shorty, who sung "America The Beautiful." Ledisi also performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing."

Meanwhile, Lil Wayne, a native of New Orleans, was not picked to headline the halftime show, and spoke out about his disappointment in a video posted online.

"That hurt. It hurt a lot," Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., said. "I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a let-down, and for just automatically putting myself mentally in that position like somebody told me that was my position."

He continued, "I thought there was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city. So it hurt a whole lot."

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