One of the biggest, if not the biggest, stage to sing the national anthem on is right before the biggest sporting event of the year – the Super Bowl.
At 2024’s main event, the legendary Reba McEntire stepped up and performed a powerful and classic rendition that made grown men cry.
She became the tenth country singer to do the honors, following in the footsteps of Charley Pride, Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, and Chris Stapleton, among others.
Did you know that there have been a few American Idol alumni do the honors as well?
With Super Bowl LVIII officially coming to an end and the premiere of American Idol coming up, we felt listing out the Idol alumni who have sung the Super Bowl would be so much fun!
The first-ever American Idol alumni to perform the national anthem at the Super Bowl may surprise you.
1. Jordin Sparks – Super Bowl XLII (2008)
Just nine months after winning the sixth season of American Idol at 17 years old, Sparks became the first Idol to sing the national anthem before the Super Bowl. She was at the height of her fame, having released her debut album three months prior. That album included her debut single “Tattoo” and Grammy-nominated duet “No Air.”
The big game was in her hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, so it seemed like the perfect time for her to sing the anthem!
@sportz_clipz40 Super bowl 42 national anthem jordan sparks #nationalanthem #nfl #superbowl #live ♬ My Way – Ayodee
2. Jennifer Hudson – Super Bowl XLIII (2009)
Hudson rose to fame on the third season of American Idol. Though she did not win (she placed seventh), she has become the most successful from not only her season, but the entire franchise.
Two years after taking home the Academy Award for her role in the movie musical Dreamgirls, Hudson took center field at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to kick of Super Bowl XLII. By this point, she was also a four-time Grammy nominee as well.
@darrickalottery8 15 years ago Jennifer Hudson national anthem of America 🇺🇲#foryoupage #fyp #fypシ #viralvideo #viral #viralvideo #jenniferhudson ♬ original sound – KERME
3. Carrie Underwood – Super Bowl XLIV (2010)
The 2010 Super Bowl marked the third year in a row the NFL chose an American Idol alumni!
By the time she performed the national anthem, Underwood had three albums to her name (which all went No. 1 on the Country Albums chart), nine No. 1 songs, 8 ACM Awards, 5 American Music Award, 8 Billboard Music Awards, 3 BMI Awards, 5 CMA Awards, and 4 Grammy Awards.
Watch her Super Bowl national anthem performance here.
4. Kelly Clarkson – Super Bowl LVI (2012)
After taking a year off of Idol alumni, the NFL went back to what works and asked the original American Idol champion to do the honors. Kelly Clarkson won the show’s very first season in 2002 and is arguably the most successful singer to come out of the show.
Watch Clarkson perform the anthem below.
@theidolguy The incomparable @kellyclarkson! #kellyclarkson #nflfootball #nationalanthem #usa #superbowl #2012 #fyp #september11 ♬ original sound – The Idol Guy
With the upcoming season, which premieres on February 18, 2024, there will have been 22 seasons of the hit singing competition show. Four out of 22 champions singing the Super Bowl national anthem isn’t too shabby! And we bet Idol will be happy to point out that no winners of The Voice have ever done it.