Luke Bryan on Singing at the Super Bowl: I'll 'Put My Stamp' on the National Anthem
Lady Gaga will sing during the halftime show.
— -- Country singer Luke Bryan has the coveted -- and much scrutinized -- privilege of singing “The Star Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl this Sunday.
To make sure that everything goes smoothly, the performer has done his research.
Bryan told reporters on Thursday that he's also been taking inspiration from those who have tackled the job in the past.
“Through this process, I've kinda gone back through the years and watched how people approached the anthem,” he said, “and just tried to figure out in my mind how I wanted to approach it.”
In 2016, Lady Gaga, who will perform during this year's halftime show, sang the national anthem. Bryan, 40, gushed that the "Applause" singer did "an amazing job" putting her individual flourishes on the song. He's excited to follow suit.
“It's a big moment for me and I'm excited to get out there and hopefully put my stamp on it,” he said.
And though some performers might play coy when asked who they're rooting for, Bryan, a Georgia native, isn't afraid of a little backlash from New England Patriots fans; he's rooting for the Atlanta Falcons.
“The irony in this is I agreed to do the anthem well before the Falcons got on their post-season roll,” he said. “I'm like, 'Come on, Falcons, you can do this!' So I'm cheering for two reasons, because I can have the opportunity to do the anthem … and … my dad's one of the biggest Falcons fans that I've ever met.”