H.E.R. will sing the U.S. national anthem as part of Sunday’s closing ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in Paris. The August 11 event will mark the official handover of hosting duties from Paris to Los Angeles.
The selection of the Grammy- and Oscar-winning R&B singer was announced during last night’s NBC coverage of the games when special correspondent and Olympics enthusiast Snoop Dogg dropped the news. “Can I announce who’s gonna be…? Well, I’m a fan of H.E.R., and I would love for H.E.R. to perform the national anthem.” He then confirmed that H.E.R. will be performing the anthem.
NBC Olympics tweeted Snoop’s announcement:
H.E.R. is expected to join French bands Phoenix and Air at the ceremony. Rolling Stone reports that Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are also rumored to be performing Sunday.
The closing ceremony at Stade de France stadium also is expected to include a skydiving stunt by Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise, Team USA flag bearers Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky and rower Nick Mead, and the official hand off of the games from Paris to Los Angeles ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in L.A.
H.E.R. is no stranger to big-time events: She’s performed Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” during the In Memoriam segment of the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, and performed “America The Beautiful” at Super Bowl LV in 2021.
The Closing Ceremony will run from 9 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. local Paris time (3 p.m. ET) and will be presented live on NBC and Peacock and in primetime beginning at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
