Brandi Carlile says singing ‘America the Beautiful’ at Super Bowl is about ‘being queer’ on ‘the largest stage in America’

Speaking to Variety ahead of Sunday’s game in San Francisco, Carlile framed the performance as a statement about the country’s unfinished promise and her place in it as a queer woman performing on the largest stage in American culture.

“The through line to being queer and being a representative of a marginalized community, and being put on the largest stage in America to acknowledge the fraught and tender hope that this country is based on, it's something you don't say no to,” Carlile said. “You do it.”

Carlile will perform the standard just before kickoff, accompanied by SistaStrings. She said she intentionally placed the song at the top of her vocal range, signaling the performance is not meant to be background music, but a focal moment.

She described “America the Beautiful” as aspirational rather than triumphal, pointing to lyrics that acknowledge national flaws rather than gloss over them. “Just this fragile hope, love and belief in where it could be, and acknowledging where it’s been, and acknowledging that we’re not there yet,” she said. “That’s what I think is so American about that song.”

Carlile also highlighted the song’s author, Katharine Lee Bates, a social activist and poet who many historians believe was gay. Carlile was blunt when asked about the speculation. “Clearly gay,” she said.

She said Bates’ life and work resonate with her as a queer artist navigating public life. Carlile pointed to Bates’ decision to still believe in America despite living in an era where women, and especially gay women, had little political or social power.

“Even in that total oppression… to still love America and to still believe that it could get to a place of goodness,” Carlile said. “I believe the same thing.”

The performance comes amid political tension surrounding this year’s Super Bowl entertainment lineup, which includes Bad Bunny, Coco Jones, and Charlie Puth. Carlile rejected the idea that the mix should be controversial.

“It looks exactly like America,” she said. “It looks like the players on the field, and it looks like the people that are watching the sport.”

Carlile added that while she understands criticism from both the right and the left, she is not interested in arguing online. “My activism isn’t gonna be in the comments section,” she said.