The 2025 Super Bowl begins at 6:30 p.m. ET at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9. The pregame musical performances have a very New Orleans connection, with the talented Jon Batiste singing the national anthem.
Who Is Jon Batiste?
In November 2024, Batiste was announced as a performer for the 2025 Super Bowl.
“We’re honored to work with this year’s pregame lineup to celebrate the rich musical legacy of New Orleans and the entire state,” said Seth Dudowsky, head of music at the NFL. “The Super Bowl is a rare moment to unite fans around the world, and this year’s performers will bring the energy, soul and vibrant sounds of the region to a global stage, as we kickoff Super Bowl LIX with a celebration to remember.”
Batiste, a singer, songwriter, and composer, is a seven-time Grammy Award-winning and Academy Award-winning artist. He was also Stephen Colbert’s bandleader on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” from 2015 to 2022.
Batiste grew up in Metairie, Louisiana and hails from a jazz family. He played drums in his family band when he was 8 years old and learned classical piano. Batiste attended the Juilliard School in New York City.
His music is a blend of jazz, soul, funk, and pop. He won an Oscar with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for his score of Pixar’s animated movie “Soul.”
In 2022, he won five Grammys: Album of the Year (for “We Are”), Best Music Video (for “Freedom”), Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (for “Soul”), and Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song (for “Cry”).
At the 2025 Grammys, Batiste won for Best Music Film for his documentary “American Symphony” and Best Song Written for Visual Media for his song “It Never Went Away” from the documentary.
Batiste has been seen on screen as well, appearing in the movie “Saturday Night,” playing musician Billy Preston (he also wrote the score for the movie), and in the 2023 remake of “The Color Purple.”
In a January interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” Batiste shared his vision for the Super Bowl 2025 national anthem performance. “I’m excited to figure out an arrangement that lasts the test of time, and I look forward to sharing it,” he said.
The musician said he anticipated finalizing the arrangement “the week before” the Super Bowl. “And then it’s going to fly,” Batiste said.
Jon Batiste Honors His Grandfather With His 2025 Super Bowl National Anthem Performance
In a February interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” Batiste shared how he will honor his late grandfather with his Super Bowl national anthem performance.
“I’m thinking a lot about my personal story and the story of this country, and the story of how we can honor the best of us,” Batiste said. “My grandfather, in my life, he was one of my great mentors … “
The musician continued, “He was the best of this country. He served this country, he was the first wave of integrating in the Navy, he was the first wave of many of our greatest achievements. He was a part of a lot of things.”
Batiste noted, “So just having that legacy in my family and the veterans in my family, the people who served this country, the people who understand what it means to have freedoms and to almost lose them … “
He added, “I’m singing for them and I’m singing for us and all of our collective love and healing that we need right now.”
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Who Is Singing the Super Bowl 2025 National Anthem