Coco Jones delivered a soul-stirring performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at Super Bowl LX.
The Grammy-winning singer and Bel-Air actress showed poise as she stepped onto the field Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Jones wore a custom ensemble inspired by the white warm-up suit Whitney Houston donned when she sang the “National Anthem” at the Super Bowl in 1991.
Instead of athletic wear, Jones chose a high-low white bubble skirt with a train detail. She completed the look with a matching cropped jacket emblazoned with red, black, and green stripes on one arm — the colors of the Pan-African aka Black Liberation flag.
Coco Jones kicks off Super Bowl LX with a beautiful rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing@TheRealCocoJ #SuperBowlLX pic.twitter.com/EwsAobac28
— NFL (@NFL) February 8, 2026
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight ahead of her performance, Jones said her outfit was designed with Houston in mind.
“I’m really excited for people to see the resemblance,” she told ET. “I actually had Karl Kani help me to design this.”
Kani is a Black designer, known as the “godfather of hip-hop,” for his urban streetwear in the 1980s and ’90s. The designer celebrated Jones’ performance Sunday with a post on Instagram, describing it as a “cultural moment,” and said she was styled by Vance Gamble.
Gamble, who grew up in Connecticut, is best known for his work with Beyoncé after styling her “Lemonade, The Visual Album.” He also styled the Grammy-winning singer for her 2016 MTV Video Music Awards Performance, the 2016 Tidal X concert, and “The Formation World Tour,” according to his website.
Coco Jones received praise on social media, with viewers describing her rendition of the song as “lovely” and “rooted in history” under a video the NFL posted of her performance on X.
Although some conservatives and MAGA supporters called the performance “divisive.”
The iconic song is a hymn that was written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900, according to the NAACP. Weldon’s brother, John Rosamond Johnson, composed the music.
In 1919, the NAACP began calling the song the “The Black National Anthem,” for its power in voicing a cry for freedom for African Americans.
Also Sunday, Bay Area rock band Green Day opened the pregame ceremony. Folk and country artist Brandi Carlile performed “America the Beautiful,” and singer-composer Charlie Puth sang the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The performers were accompanied by sign language interpreter Fred Beam.
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