Brandi Carlyle sang her heart out.
The artist wowed the stage with an emotional acoustic rendition of “America the Beautiful” during the 2026 Super Bowl pregame show.
Carlyle performed with deaf artist Julian Ortiz, who sang the song in ASL.
“There’s not a dry eye in the house, including me!” one fan tweeted during Carlyle’s performance. “Thank you for bringing us the spirit of America!”
“Brandi Carlyle always wins,” added another. “Great choice, NFL.”
“Brandi Carlyle may be the most talented musician on the planet,” wrote a third. “It’s amazing to see her on the world’s biggest stage.”
The 11-time Grammy Award winner released her ninth studio album, Returning To Myself, in October 2025.
Later this month, Carlyle will kick off his 2026 Human Tour on Tuesday with special guests The Head and The Heart.
“This is the biggest tour we’ve ever done,” the 44-year-old singer wrote on Instagram. “We’ve never been more ready for this moment… Let’s make the arena feel like a living room.”
Ahead of the performance, Carlyle attended an Apple Music press conference on Thursday to talk about this big opportunity.
“One of the things I love about being in my 40s is the freedom from the pressure, compared to the opportunities I had when I was younger to have big moments,” she explained. “But now you have that superpower at this point in your life. Calm down and center yourself. Be present. And actually experience these milestones in life.”
“This is what you see when your life flashes before your eyes,” Carlyle mused. “And you don’t want to leave. You want to be there.”
The star was ready to make this production his own.
“I want to sing this song and the lyrics as they are, with humility and hope, and at the same time, strive to be present.”
Along with Carlyle, Green Day also took the stage at the opening ceremony before the game.
“We’re so excited to have Super Bowl 60 in our backyard!” Billie Joe Armstrong said when the news was first announced. “We’re honored to welcome some of the MVPs who have shaped the game and open the night for fans around the world. Let’s have fun! Let’s make a fuss!”
The band’s performance was intended to “celebrate the championship’s 60-year history as the band helped bring generations of Super Bowl MVPs onto the field,” according to the NFL.
Armstrong, 53, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool performed some of their biggest hits during their set.
Green Day first rose to stardom from San Francisco with their 1994 album Dookie.
Since then, the group has released 11 albums and won five Grammy Awards.
The lineup also included Charlie Puth, who sang the national anthem, and Coco Jones, who performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Both artists were accompanied by ASL performer Fred Beam.
Meanwhile, Bad Bunny has been selected to headline the 2026 halftime show.
The organization first announced the news in September during the Packers-Cowboys “Sunday Night Football” game.
Bunny, 31, who holds the title of the world’s most streamed artist, released a statement immediately after the match.
“What I feel is beyond myself,” he gushed. “This is for the guys who came before me and ran for countless yards for me to score a touchdown…This is for my people, my culture, and our history.”
Bunny uploaded a clip to Instagram of himself wearing a straw hat and sitting on a goalpost on a beach to the tune of his song “Callaita.”
“Super Bowl LX. Bay Area. February 2026. #AppleMusicHalftime,” the Puerto Rican superstar captioned the post.
Regarding X, the musician added, “I’ve been thinking about it lately, and after talking with my team, I’m thinking of going on just one date in America.”
Bunny is no stranger to Super Bowl performances. He took to the stage as a special guest at Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s halftime show at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium during the 2020 Super Bowl.
However, there was an immediate backlash against Bunny’s future performance.
In October, a petition to replace the rapper with “King of Country” George Strait garnered thousands of signatures.
The petition asked the 73-year-old country star to perform to “pay homage to the rich tradition of American music.”
“The Super Bowl halftime show should unite the country, respect American culture, remain family-friendly, and not be turned into a political stunt. Bad Bunny embodies none of these values. His drag performance and style are the exact opposite of what families expect on football’s biggest stage,” the petition reads.
“Once again, George Strait represents unity, tradition, and timeless American music worthy of the spotlight at the 2026 Super Bowl.”
Turning Point USA also announced it will air its own halftime show.
In October, Bunny appeared on “Saturday Night Live” and addressed the controversy.
“I’m very happy and I think everyone is happy, including Fox News,” he teased as footage from Fox cut out, adding, “Bad Bunny is my favorite musician and should be the next president.”
“But the truth is, I’m really excited to be in the Super Bowl and I know that people all over the world who love my music are happy too,” Bunny continued.
“Especially all the Latinos and Latinos around the world who have worked so hard to open doors here in the United States. This is not just a victory for me, it’s a victory for all of us. Our footprint and our contribution in this country, no one can take it away or erase it,” he said in Spanish.
At the end of his opening monologue, Bunny quipped: “If you don’t understand what I said. You have four months to learn.”
