From Maroon 5 to Travis Scott to Gladys Knight, here's which artists to look out for.
Super Bowl LIII is almost here!
The Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots will go head-to-head in the NFL championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday. While we're hoping for a good game, that's not the only reason we'll be tuning in -- performers like Maroon 5, Travis Scott, Chloe x Halle and more will be providing the musical soundtrack to Super Bowl Sunday.
The event, scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS, will feature several Georgia natives in honor of this year's Atlanta-held game. Check out which acts will be taking the stage below.
Gladys Knight
Kicking things off is Knight, who will perform the national anthem at Sunday's game. The seven-time GRAMMY winner and "Midnight Train to Georgia" singer is from Oglethorpe, Georgia.
"I am proud to use my voice to unite and represent our country in my hometown of Atlanta. The NFL recently announced their new social justice platform Inspire Change, and I am honored to be a part of its inaugural year," Knight said in a statement after her performance was announced on Jan. 17.
Chloe x Halle
Chloe x Halle, also from Atlanta, will give a pre-game performance of "America the Beautiful," accompanied by performer and deaf activist Aarron Loggins (he'll be signing both Knight and Chloe x Halle's performances). The group, comprised of sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey, joins an esteemed list of singers who have performed the song, like Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr., Alicia Keys, Faith Hill, Mary J. Blige and Queen Latifah.
Maroon 5, Travis Scott and Big Boi
Finally, Maroon 5 will perform this year's halftime show, alongside Scott and Big Boi (who is also from Atlanta). The NFL confirmed the news on Jan. 13, after months of speculation that the Adam Levine-led band had nabbed the gig.
Levine played coy about the rumors during a November appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
"What the hell are you talking about?” Levine quipped when DeGeneres asked him about the speculation -- though appeared to slip up just minutes later. "It’s the Super Bowl. It’s going to be a great event and there’s going to be a band... or an artist of some kind performing at halftime. And it’s going to be great regardless of whoever it is."
Scott, meanwhile, received backlash after his performance was announced, given the NFL's controversial stance on players including Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem as a form of peaceful political protest.
The 26-year-old rapper revealed earlier this month that he, along with the NFL, would be making a donation to Dream Corps, an organization that is at the forefront of social justice issues like reducing jail populations and creating career opportunities for communities.
“I back anyone who takes a stand for what they believe in," Scott said in a statement. "I know being an artist that it’s in my power to inspire. So before confirming the Super Bowl Halftime performance, I made sure to partner with the NFL on this important donation. I am proud to support Dream Corps and the work they do that will hopefully inspire and promote change.”
Maroon 5 Adam Levine also addressed the controversy in an exclusive sit down with ET's Kevin Frazier in Atlanta. "No one thought about it more than I did," he says. "No one put more thought and love into this than I did. ... I spoke to many people, most importantly though, I silenced the noise and listened to myself, and made my decision about how I felt."
ET also exclusively confirmed that Scott will headline Pepsi's invite-only Super Bowl weekend party at Planet Pepsi in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday, two days before the Super Bowl. See more on the game in the video below.
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