Super Bowl 60: Carlile’s Anthem Restores Patriotic Pride to America’s Biggest Stage

Paul Riverbank, 2/8/2026Brandi Carlile’s Super Bowl 60 performance crowns a year of milestones, affirming her place as a modern Americana powerhouse. With acclaimed collaborations and a global tour ahead, Carlile’s artistry defies boundaries—her journey is as compelling as her music’s enduring resonance.

Her career was never mapped out along a straight road. Raised in the scenic sprawl of Washington state, Carlile developed a sound that’s stubbornly her own—a little bit roots, a bit of something harder to define. With a shelf full of Grammy Awards—eleven, if you’re keeping count—and a reputation for stirring, story-driven songs, she’s managed to side-step easy categorization. Americana, maybe. But really, she builds on it, twining classic influences with lyrics that land somewhere between everyday ache and hope.

Last year, she hit another marker: an Academy Award nomination for “Never Too Late,” a song she teamed up on with none other than Elton John. The pair didn’t stop there—by spring, their collaborative album “Who Believes in Angels?” landed, further proof that Carlile’s musical border-crossing isn’t just for show. She’s at the point now where her duet partners aren’t just topping charts or decades, but forming musical bridges between eras.

She’s also got a knack—almost a calling—for restoring legends to the spotlight. Anyone who watched Joni Mitchell’s emotional return to live performance, with Carlile right there in her corner, saw as much. These alliances aren’t packaged or planned for headlines; they seem to spin naturally from Carlile’s earned respect in the industry and from audiences alike.

The Super Bowl gig is only the beginning of what promises to be a frenetic year. She admitted as much recently, only half-joking about how busy she’d be for a 44-year-old from the Pacific Northwest. Her upcoming world tour will find her on stages that carry their own legacies—Madison Square Garden, for one, a room that doesn’t let weak stories echo.

The truth is, there are probably more people than ever who know her first by “The Story,” the breakout anthem that’s been streamed so many millions of times it’s become a kind of digital folksong. Then came “The Joke,” a stormy, aching ballad that bagged her another Grammy and filled up playlists fast. She’s rarely on those stages alone—her recent records are patchworks of voices, from established stars to newer names testing their own luck.

Tracks like “Heart’s Content” and “Every Time I Hear That Song” keep showing up, old favorites right alongside whatever she’s just released. Audiences haven’t tired of them, and neither, it seems, has she. Even as the crowds grow and the stages widen, Carlile keeps tugging the thread of connection, always circling back to the music’s core.

With a Super Bowl audience waiting, a globe-trotting tour ahead, and whispers of more collaborations on the horizon, Carlile’s at another crossroads that probably means little to her in the day-to-day. For her, it’s about what she says during a show: the journey’s the real headline, the stage just another place to tell it.

Brandi Carlile isn’t a stranger to the big stage, but this winter, she’ll meet perhaps the largest of all: on February 8, moments before the Seahawks face off against the Patriots, Carlile is set to deliver “America the Beautiful” at Super Bowl 60. The halftime spectacle might draw the headlines, but anyone who’s tracked Carlile’s journey knows this is a moment tailor-made for her particular grit and warmth.Her career was never mapped out along a straight road. Raised in the scenic sprawl of Washington state, Carlile developed a sound that’s stubbornly her own—a little bit roots, a bit of something harder to define. With a shelf full of Grammy Awards—eleven, if you’re keeping count—and a reputation for stirring, story-driven songs, she’s managed to side-step easy categorization. Americana, maybe. But really, she builds on it, twining classic influences with lyrics that land somewhere between everyday ache and hope.Last year, she hit another marker: an Academy Award nomination for “Never Too Late,” a song she teamed up on with none other than Elton John. The pair didn’t stop there—by spring, their collaborative album “Who Believes in Angels?” landed, further proof that Carlile’s musical border-crossing isn’t just for show. She’s at the point now where her duet partners aren’t just topping charts or decades, but forming musical bridges between eras.She’s also got a knack—almost a calling—for restoring legends to the spotlight. Anyone who watched Joni Mitchell’s emotional return to live performance, with Carlile right there in her corner, saw as much. These alliances aren’t packaged or planned for headlines; they seem to spin naturally from Carlile’s earned respect in the industry and from audiences alike.The Super Bowl gig is only the beginning of what promises to be a frenetic year. She admitted as much recently, only half-joking about how busy she’d be for a 44-year-old from the Pacific Northwest. Her upcoming world tour will find her on stages that carry their own legacies—Madison Square Garden, for one, a room that doesn’t let weak stories echo.The truth is, there are probably more people than ever who know her first by “The Story,” the breakout anthem that’s been streamed so many millions of times it’s become a kind of digital folksong. Then came “The Joke,” a stormy, aching ballad that bagged her another Grammy and filled up playlists fast. She’s rarely on those stages alone—her recent records are patchworks of voices, from established stars to newer names testing their own luck.Tracks like “Heart’s Content” and “Every Time I Hear That Song” keep showing up, old favorites right alongside whatever she’s just released. Audiences haven’t tired of them, and neither, it seems, has she. Even as the crowds grow and the stages widen, Carlile keeps tugging the thread of connection, always circling back to the music’s core.With a Super Bowl audience waiting, a globe-trotting tour ahead, and whispers of more collaborations on the horizon, Carlile’s at another crossroads that probably means little to her in the day-to-day. For her, it’s about what she says during a show: the journey’s the real headline, the stage just another place to tell it.