Brandi Carlile will bring her Seattle roots to the Super Bowl stage on Sunday when she performs “America the Beautiful” before kickoff. The singer-songwriter, who was born and raised in the Seattle area, confirmed she will be cheering for the Seattle Seahawks as they face the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Carlile spoke about the upcoming performance and her fandom during a news conference with other Super Bowl performers, including halftime headliner Bad Bunny.
Brandi Carlile Says She’s Rooting for the Seattle Seahawks
Carlile said her loyalty to the Seahawks is relatively new and largely inspired by her children.
“I’ve never been a sports lady. I can’t even run in a straight line. It’s ridiculous,” Carlile said. “But my daughters, inexplicably, are total jocks and they have just got me in line quick.”
She shares two daughters with her wife, Catherine Shepherd: 11-year-old Evangeline and 7-year-old Elijah.
I’m making up for lost time as a fan,” Carlile added, noting that watching games has become a family activity.
The 11-Time Grammy Winner Opened Up About Performing ‘America the Beautiful’
Before either team takes the field, Carlile will perform “America the Beautiful” alongside Julian Ortiz. She previously discussed the meaning of the song during an appearance on “The SoCal Sound” on SCSN with Nic Harcourt.
“That is a song that I can fully put every piece of my weight behind, every piece of my heart and soul I can put inside the lyric of ‘America the Beautiful’ and mean it,” Carlile said. “And if I couldn’t, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t have sung it.”
She added that the song reflects her personal view of the country.
“To me, on some level, that is my national anthem because it upholds and embraces the idea of America and what America is supposed to be for everyone,” Carlile said. “All I can say is that my prayer for this country is within that song.”
Brandi Carlile Acknowledged Performing at the Super Bowl ‘Is So Big’
Carlile acknowledged the scale of the Super Bowl and the attention surrounding it.
“When you’re born and raised in this country, it’s like you use the Super Bowl as a barometer to gauge when something’s huge,” she said. “You’re like, oh my God, this thing is so big.”
Despite the spotlight, Carlile is no stranger to major stages. She has earned an Oscar nomination, two Emmy wins, and authored a book that reached No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list.
She has released eight studio albums, most recently “Returning to Myself,” and has won 11 Grammy Awards from 28 nominations, with two additional nominations this year.
Inside Carlile’s Wife and Two Kids
Carlile has been married to Catherine Shepherd since 2012. Shepherd works as Carlile’s manager and creative director and previously served as executive director and creative director of Carlile’s Looking Out Foundation from 2012 to 2024.
Before that, Shepherd worked for Paul McCartney for nine years as his personal assistant and charity coordinator.
Carlile and Shepherd first connected by phone in 2009 while Shepherd coordinated McCartney’s charity efforts. They met in person in 2010 and married two years later in Boston, followed by ceremonies in Washington and England.
The couple shares two daughters. Evangeline was born in 2014 and is biologically Carlile’s child, while Shepherd carried the pregnancy. Their second daughter, Elijah, was born in 2018 and is biologically Shepherd’s child. Carlile’s childhood friend David donated sperm for both pregnancies.
In a 2020 post, Carlile acknowledged his role, writing, “Happy Father’s Day to my Dad and to my best friend David who gave Catherine and I the greatest gift in life, our two daughters.”
The Seattle Seahawks will face the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium. The game will air on KING 5 on Sunday, February 8, at 3:30 p.m. PT.
Brandi Carlile: ‘America the Beautiful’ Super Bowl Singer Is a Seahawks Fan