Before the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl XLIX, John Legend kicked off the festivities at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. with a soulful rendition of “America the Beautiful.”
Seated at the piano, the Oscar-nominated crooner belted out the patriotic tune as his wife Chrissy Teigen and Rihanna watched from the sidelines. He earned praise on social media from friends including Kelly Rowland and Janelle Monáe.
Watch John’s stirring performance below:
Beautiful job @johnlegend! #SuperBowl
— KELENDRIA ROWLAND (@KELLYROWLAND) February 1, 2015
@johnlegend sounded sooooo amazing singing america the beautiful the best natural soul and church dust is on his throat!
— Janelle Monáe, Cindi (@JanelleMonae) February 2, 2015
She did that.