Super Bowl 2018: Who is Leslie Odom Jr? America the Beautiful singer at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis

Jan 23, 2018

THE Super Bowl is not just one of the biggest sporting events of the year but a huge day in the American calendar.

New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles will go head to head for the biggest prize in American football at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Leslie Odom Jr will sing America the Beautiful at the Super Bowl

But the Super Bowl is more than just an NFL game, and among the many traditions is the singing of ‘America the Beautiful’ before kick-off.

Here is all you need to know about this year’s performance.

You can watch the NFL playoffs on Now TV with prices starting at £6.99 for a Sports Pass. Or you can catch all the action on NFL Gamepass.

Who is singing ‘America the Beautiful’?

This year the honour goes to Leslie Odom Jr, a 36-year-old singer and actor from New York.

He will take to the stage before the US national anthem, which will be performed by Pink.

Expect to see Odom Jr on stage around 11.20pm GMT at US Bank Stadium.

Leslie Odom Jr performing in award-winning musical Hamilton

New England Patriots reached the Super Bowl once again this year

HOW TO WATCH THE PLAY-OFFS

You can watch the NFL playoffs on Sky this year as they’ll be broadcasting all the games live. You can become a subscriber here.

If you don’t want to sign up for Sky, you can watch the playoffs on NowTV with their Sky Sports pass starting from £6.99.

You can also sign up for NFL Game Pass’ playoff subscription which will let you watch all the games, including the Super Bowl, live and on demand

Who is Leslie Odom Jr?

Odom Jr has performed in musicals, in film and television and is also a jazz singer.

He has previously won a prestigious Tony Award for best actor in a musical, and also a Grammy in 2016 as well for best musical theatre album in Hamilton.

WHO’S THE GOAT? Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Joe Montana… who is the best NFL quarterback ever?

What is ‘America the Beautiful’ and why do they sing it?

‘America the Beautiful’ is a patriotic song in the US that has been around since the early 1900s.

It has been sung at the Super Bowl every year since 2009 and appeared at some sports events after the 9/11 terror attack in 2001.

The song has four verses, one of which is sung before kick-off in the NFL’s showpiece game.

Jay Ajayi and the Philadelphia Eagles will take on the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl

Who else is performing at the Super Bowl?

Pink will follow Odom Jr on stage to perform the US national anthem prior to kick-off at US Bank Stadium.

This year’s halftime show will be headlined by Justin Timberlake.

It’s his first appearance in the half-time show since he exposed Janet Jackson’s breast in a wardrobe malfunction in 2004.

Tags: Explainers NFL Super Bowl

You can watch the NFL playoffs on Now TV with prices starting at £6.99 for a Sports Pass. Or you can catch all the action on NFL Gamepass.

Who is singing ‘America the Beautiful’?

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