"I got the news from my manager, Justin McIntosh. He said that they wanted me to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl," she recalls. "And I said, 'Oh my gosh. Well, let me think about that. And Rex Linn, my boyfriend, who is a huge football fan, he said, 'Yes, she'll do it, absolutely,'" she adds.
- Reba McEntire will be giving one of three patriotic performances to kick off the game. She's singing the National Anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner."
- Rapper Post Malone is booked for a rendition of "America the Beautiful," and Andra Day will sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
- R&B legend Usher will play the coveted Super Bowl halftime show slot in 2024.
McEntire has about half a century of experience singing the National Anthem. She traces the beginning of her major-league career success back to a 1974 performance of the anthem she gave at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma — where she was "discovered," she says.
Here's what she told CBS a few days ago: