H.E.R. to perform US national anthem at Paris Olympics closing ceremony

H.E.R. is set to perform the American national anthem during the 2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday (August 11).

It was confirmed by People that the musician will perform ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ in the Stade de France as part of the handover to the Los Angeles games, which are taking place in 2028.

The Olympics themselves have been tight-lipped about who will be involved in the ceremony, although it has been widely reported that Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Red Hot Chili Peppers might all be involved, as well as Tom Cruise performing his own motorcycle stunt.

Phoenix and Air are also reportedly to represent their home country as it brings the games to a close.

Charli XCX had cheekily teased that she might be involved in Eilish’s portion of the event, before later confirming that she was just joking.

The opening ceremony on July 26 launched the games with a divisive four-hour event that included performances from a showstopping Celine Dion, a pre-recorded Lady Gaga and a history-making Gojira.

It is not the first time this year that H.E.R. will have played before a global audience – in February, she joined Usher during the Super Bowl Halftime Show in one of the most-viewed television broadcasts of all time.

H.E.R. joined the R&B icon on guitar for ‘U Got It Bad’ and ‘Bad Girl’, as part of a set that also featured guest appearances from Alicia Keys, will.i.am, Ludacris and Lil Jon.

After the performance, she posted on her Instagram account: “CAN’T SPELL USHER WITHOUT H.E.R. HALFTIME SHOW?!?!???? WHAAAAAAT. AND IT WAS THE GREATEST EVER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TALENT, YOUR LOVE, AND FOR SHARING THIS MOMENT WITH ME. WOW I HAVE NO WORDS.”

H.E.R. released her debut album ‘Back of My Mind’ in 2021. In a four-star review, NME wrote that it was “a dazzling debut from an artist who’s so in command of her own sound that it’s almost jarring when “Exhausted’ includes a shout-out to producer Darkchild. Most exciting of all is the bright future surely ahead of her.”

Her most recent release came in the form of the single ‘The Glass’ last December, a cover of the Foo Fighters song from their recent album ‘But Here We Are’.

H.E.R. is also a previous Academy Award winner for the song ‘Fight for You’ from the 2021 film Judas and the Black Messiah, and a five-time Grammy winner, including for the protest song ‘I Can’t Breathe’ in 2020, which picked up the Song of the Year prize.

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