Latest news with #AmericanSymphony
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
American Cruise Lines setting sail from Pensacola in 2026 — what it means for tourism
PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — All aboard! Pensacola will soon become a port of call for American Cruise Lines and its ship, the American Symphony. 'Biggest pet adoption event' coming to Pensacola It's part of the cruise line's new Gulf Coast Cruise Itinerary. 'It's always exciting to have a new way for people to explore your destination. Your community,' Darien Schaefer, president & CEO of Visit Pensacola said. Starting March 2026, the eight-day cruise travels from New Orleans to Pensacola, with stops in Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs and Mobile. Currently, four trips are planned for the month of March. Carrying with it about 180 passengers ready to explore all Pensacola has to offer. 'We know it will actually generate some room nights, because they'll come in the day before the cruise and spend an overnight in Pensacola,' Schaefer said. 'And when they come here it's 180 people that will be exploring the destination. So they'll be taking advantage of some of our attractions and restaurants.' Schaefer said the cruise is just another piece of Pensacola's local tourism economy. 'We've been very fortunate to see tourism grow in Escambia County. And one of the great results of that is visitors, when they come, their spending generates local taxes. And those taxes help offset the cost that all of us as residents of Escambia County have to pay,' Schaefer said. Escambia County approves $25 million worth of improvements to the John R. Jones Sports Complex According to Visit Pensacola, tourism brought in just over $2 billion to the local economy in 2024. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Journaling Her Way Through Cancer for the Third Time
Suleika Jaouad didn't intend to become a proselytizer for journaling, despite having the utmost respect for her own ragtag collection of Moleskines and marbled composition notebooks. 'I don't think it's melodramatic to say that journaling has saved my life,' Jaouad said. 'But when I hear someone use the words 'creative practice,' some part of me is inclined to roll my eyes.' Before we explore her change of heart, a few notes on terminology: 'Journaling' is one of those squishy newfangled verbs like 'friending' or 'tantruming.' Just go with it. Also, a journal is not to be confused with a diary. The latter is a linear accounting of daily life, often bedecked with a lock that's no match for a sibling with a bobby pin. The former invites tangents, musings and half-baked ideas. Think of it as a sketchbook for language (although drawings are welcome too). In short, a diary is a fenced yard; a journal is an open field. Jaouad, 36, has cavorted in that field for as long as she can remember. She writes every day. She isn't precious about it. She journals the way a runner stretches or a musician practices scales. She's filled hundreds of notebooks, now piled in trunks and closets, on the floor of her home office in Brooklyn and in bins behind the couch where she sat during an interview, cradling her dog, Lentil, atop a fringed pillow. But this writing ritual took on new significance in late 2021 when, after a near decade-long remission, Jaouad had a recurrence of leukemia. Her first round was well documented: She'd written about it in Life, Interrupted, a column for The New York Times; in 'Between Two Kingdoms,' a best-selling memoir; and for The Isolation Journals, her Substack community which started as a 100-day journaling challenge. The cancer returned as Jaouad and her husband, Jon Batiste, whom she met as a teenager at band camp, were filming a documentary about a classical work he was composing. The movie, 'American Symphony,' ended up following Jaouad's treatment on a parallel track. Her private grappling happened in her journals. They inspired 'The Book of Alchemy,' coming out on April 22. When Jaouad arrived at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 2022 for her second bone marrow transplant, she brought a gray felt diaper caddy stuffed with reading material, art supplies and a quartet of notebooks. One was for medical jottings and notes on doctors' visits. Another was for character sketches and overheard conversations. The third contained Jaouad's half of a shared journal with Batiste, in which they exchange letters when they're apart. Finally, there was Jaouad's personal journal, where she planned to write what she couldn't say aloud. 'I was like, I've got this,' Jaouad said. 'I've done this before. I'm going to do the exact same thing that worked for me the first time around.' Then her vision blurred, thanks to a cocktail of medications. She started having hallucinations and nightmares. Instead of reaching for a pen, she grabbed a paintbrush. 'The only way I knew how to navigate that immense upheaval and uncertainty was to try to collaborate with it,' Jaouad said. 'I decided to keep a visual journal.' She pointed to the wall behind her couch where a procession of watercolors climbed, two by two, all the way to the ceiling: 'These were the originals, these paintings.' In one, a mermaid dangles from the mouth of a heron. In another, a pregnant figure stares down a snake. Several images feature IV lines. Taken as a whole, the images look like framed calendar pages from a year in hell. They're also eerily, ethereally beautiful. 'Not only did it defang the fear, it made the nightmares interesting,' Jaouad said of her watercolor jag. 'I became excited for my nightmares. They were fodder. They were creative grist.' Eventually Jaouad started writing again, but she held onto the paintings, and to the solace that came from those outpourings. She began to reconsider a book idea she'd dismissed as 'unserious and lacking in rigor.' To be clear, 'The Book of Alchemy' isn't a how-to manual, a self help book or a guided journal. (The only tense moment of our interview came when I asked Jaouad if she'd considered a workbook approach. She had not.) Her 336-page, pleasingly chunky tome is divided into 10 chapters, covering subjects such as memory, fear, seeing and love. Jaouad sets up each one with an autobiographical essay, followed by a series of shorter pieces from a hundred different contributors, complete with creative prompts. Some are simple: Describe a day in the future. Write about a public figure you've been fascinated with from afar. Write about your relationship to your hands. Others are more complicated: George Saunders's four-step instructions for writing a short story call to mind a recipe where you realize too late that you were supposed to make creme fraiche from scratch. Jaouad's table of contents includes more stars than the credits of 'Love Actually,' although hers are of the literary variety, including Ann Patchett, Salman Rushdie, Elizabeth Gilbert, Lena Dunham and John Green. Then there are unexpected contributors: Photographers and a philanthropist, a hospice volunteer and a Lutheran pastor, an Olympic speedskater and the founder of a surf school. A milliner. A prisoner. In some ways, theirs are the most powerful pieces in the collection, since they come from people who aren't writers with a capital W. These essays prove Jaouad's point: that journaling is an equal opportunity form of expression, regardless of experience or age. 'The youngest contributor, at the time, was 6,' Jaouad said. 'The oldest is in their 90s.' (That's Gloria Steinem.) Jaouad didn't approach Green — whose novel, 'The Fault in Our Stars,' was a lifeline after her first diagnosis — until two days before her deadline. Green understood the assignment. He delivered a meditation on things unseen yet somehow envisioned — a dodo bird, the root system of a tree, the inner workings of the human heart. His prompt: 'Write about what you've never seen until you feel like you can, in some way, see it.' 'Writing is my way of collecting and organizing my thoughts,' Green said in an interview. 'What did Mr. Rogers say? 'Anything mentionable is manageable'? Journaling helps me make things mentionable.' A particularly moving essay comes from Jennifer Leventhal, a caregiver adviser for Memorial Sloan Kettering. In March 2020, her 25-year-old daughter Danielle, who was in treatment for her third recurrence of a rare sarcoma, asked her mother to join her in the daily creativity project from The Isolation Journals. 'I agreed,' Leventhal said in an interview. 'I agreed to a lot of things that were outside my comfort zone. Anything that would distract her, or bring comfort or pleasure, was a yes for me.' When Jaouad prompted followers to to compose a letter to a stranger, Leventhal immediately thought of a mother she'd seen in a hospital waiting room with her young adult son. Writing to this fellow caregiver, she said, helped her 'shift toward acceptance and, later, gratitude for all the ways that it wasn't so hard for us.' Danielle died a year later, leaving her own journals to her mother. 'The Book of Alchemy' can be read linearly, as a narrative, or dipped into for inspiration. Some parts read like a memoir; others, like the syllabus for a class with a well-deserved waiting list. With its something-for-everyone approach, Jaouad's book is bound to bring new writers to the fold; after all, you don't need to be a person of words to journal any more than you need to be Katie Ledecky to practice freestyle. 'My hope is that it reaches people who are in between, who are in transition,' Jaouad said, 'whether that's the transition from graduation to the 'real world,' whether it's someone like me who's grappling with illness or some other heartbreak that's upended their life.' In August, Jaouad learned that her cancer is back. 'When you learn for the third time that you have leukemia, that's the kind of uncertainty that can make it hard to get out of bed in the morning,' she said. But 'the goal is not to find an answer, to reach some distant point on the horizon. It's to continuously experiment and explore and reflect and refine what emerges.' That's what her journals are for.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jon Batiste's reimagined Super Bowl anthem highlighted wife's painting and set stage for new music
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jon Batiste transformed the Super Bowl stage into a symphony of creativity, debuting new music, reimagining 'The Star-Spangled Banner" and shining a global spotlight on his wife's creative vision. As Batiste performed the national anthem Sunday, the multi-talented musician played a piano adorned with a colorful butterfly painting by his wife, Suleika Jaouad, who came up with the idea while making their documentary 'American Symphony.' Her artwork, the city's resilience after the New Year's attack, and the memory of his late veteran grandfather all fueled his performance. 'This was powerful. The spirit came over me,' Batiste told The Associated Press after his performance at the Caesars Superdome. On Monday he unveiled 'My United State,' a two-track project featuring 'Star-Spangled Blues' and 'Notes from My Future Self." See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. 'It's the first time in the history of the anthem that had samples included in it,' said Batiste, a Louisiana native who is a Grammy and Oscar winner and former bandleader for the 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' 'We almost couldn't clear the main sample that I wanted until the night before.' Batiste, 38, said his reinvented national anthem draws from 'Drag Rap' by The Showboys — better known as the Triggerman beat — a staple of New Orleans bounce and hip-hop culture. He aimed to showcase the city's rich culture and heritage while putting his own stamp on a song that was first echoed at the Super Bowl in 1967, performed by The Pride of Arizona, the Michigan Marching Band and the UCLA Choir. Over the years, the anthem has been reimagined by music legends like Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Billy Joel, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. 'It's a lot of pieces to the puzzle,' he said. 'They all come in different tempos and melodies. It's a whole lot of things that wouldn't never work together unless it was framed by the American ideal. I wanted to capture it in an arrangement. Just in the sound.' In an AP interview, Batiste reflected on his wife's resilience, new songs, an upcoming tour and his festival this weekend that will leave a lasting musical impact on New Orleans. Batiste's wife's resilience shown through her painting During the filming of 'American Symphony,' inspiration struck — not just in the documentary, but on canvas. As Jaouad painted, one creation that took flight was a vivid butterfly, embodying what he calls the 'power of resilience, delicate beauty, and grace.' Jaouad's painting was on the piano and bench Sunday. 'It's the balance of this duality,' he said about watching his wife creatively express herself during 'American Symphony,' which won a Grammy for best music film. 'It Never Went Away' from the documentary also won best song written for visual media. He's thankful for the collaboration and proud of Jaouad, a writer who is battling cancer for a third time. In December, she revealed her diagnosis on social media. 'She's a one of a kind human being, like a person who has so much light from within,' Batiste said. 'You look into her eyes and you see the work. I'm very glad that she was able to not only survive, but have this alchemizing process of it all to lift it into something that's even more than just a way of making lemonade out of lemons.' He added: 'This is more than just taking a bad thing and making it good. It's almost a blessing, as wild as it is to think about it like that.' Batiste's anthem of growth and homecoming While crafting 'Notes from My Future Self,' Batiste had three things on his mind: returning home, the national anthem and the wide-eyed wonder of him at 6 years old. 'It really brought together so many things in my subconscious,' said the seven-time Grammy winner. "It brought them together, like all these stories, notes. What would the young me think about what's happening now and how to really connect to this moment from their inner child plays in this song? It just came out of that.' Batiste called the upbeat song an anthem that represents self-empowerment for himself and others too. He said making the song was a profound journey of artistic realization. 'When you hear the song and you're listening, it's me talking to my younger me,' he said. 'But it could also be you, talking to young you. In a moment like this, it's important for us to heal, to really thrive and be rooted in who we are. We have to go back to that kid.' Batiste said the musical foundation came while talking to director Alan Ferguson, his frequent collaborator. He said they had a vision of using spoken word, poetry and hip-hop within the context of 'radical cause, positivity and openness.' 'It's a celebration of life,' he said. 'It's a natural intuition and the visual possibility and the evolution of me as an artist is just me going into this new zone. ... When it aligns like that, that's how I know it's the right direction." What's next for Batiste After Batiste's Super Bowl performance, his next goal is creating visuals for 'Notes from My Future Self" and hitting the road for a concert tour. Full details have to yet been released, but he's looking to perform new music and songs from Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1),' which reimagined the iconic German pianist's work. 'You really get a twofer on this next run,' Batiste said. Batiste spreads love and music before big game performance Before delivering the national anthem, Jon Batiste brought his signature energy to New Orleans' 9th Ward, turning a neighborhood into a stage for joy and community. His He Gets Us Presents Jon Batiste's Love Riot Festival transformed the grounds of George Washington Carver High School into a celebration of music, hope, and action. The event also highlighted plans for a future sports field to serve local schools. 'I wanted to make something where we go to the places that are forgotten but are the foundation,' Batiste said. 'They are the foundation of why we want to come to New Orleans in the first place and go to those communities.' Batiste, alongside Sing for Hope, led 10 New Orleans artists in creating hand-painted pianos, scattered throughout the 9th Ward as an open invitation to the festival. After the event, these vibrant instruments will find permanent homes in schools and community centers, keeping the music alive long after the final note. 'They greatest thing we can do is serve and not take it,' he said. 'It's a holistic view. ... Yes, I'm honored to sing at the Super Bowl. I also want to leave something that impacts the community, my hometown.' ___ For more on the Super Bowl, visit
The Independent
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Jon Batiste's reimagined Super Bowl anthem highlighted wife's painting and set stage for new music
Jon Batiste transformed the Super Bowl stage into a symphony of creativity, debuting new music, reimagining 'The Star-Spangled Banner" and shining a global spotlight on his wife's creative vision. As Batiste performed the national anthem Sunday, the multi-talented musician played a piano adorned with a colorful butterfly painting by his wife, Suleika Jaouad, who came up with the idea while making their documentary 'American Symphony.' Her artwork, the city's resilience after the New Year's attack, and the memory of his late veteran grandfather all fueled his performance. 'This was powerful. The spirit came over me,' Batiste told The Associated Press after his performance at the Caesars Superdome. On Monday he unveiled 'My United State,' a two-track project featuring 'Star-Spangled Blues' and 'Notes from My Future Self." 'It's the first time in the history of the anthem that had samples included in it,' said Batiste, a Louisiana native who is a Grammy and Oscar winner and former bandleader for the 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' 'We almost couldn't clear the main sample that I wanted until the night before.' Batiste, 38, said his reinvented national anthem draws from 'Drag Rap' by The Showboys — better known as the Triggerman beat — a staple of New Orleans bounce and hip-hop culture. He aimed to showcase the city's rich culture and heritage while putting his own stamp on a song that was first echoed at the Super Bowl in 1967, performed by The Pride of Arizona, the Michigan Marching Band and the UCLA Choir. Over the years, the anthem has been reimagined by music legends like Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Billy Joel, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. 'It's a lot of pieces to the puzzle,' he said. 'They all come in different tempos and melodies. It's a whole lot of things that wouldn't never work together unless it was framed by the American ideal. I wanted to capture it in an arrangement. Just in the sound.' In an AP interview, Batiste reflected on his wife's resilience, new songs, an upcoming tour and his festival this weekend that will leave a lasting musical impact on New Orleans. Batiste's wife's resilience shown through her painting During the filming of 'American Symphony,' inspiration struck — not just in the documentary, but on canvas. As Jaouad painted, one creation that took flight was a vivid butterfly, embodying what he calls the 'power of resilience, delicate beauty, and grace.' Jaouad's painting was on the piano and bench Sunday. 'It's the balance of this duality,' he said about watching his wife creatively express herself during 'American Symphony,' which won a Grammy for best music film. 'It Never Went Away' from the documentary also won best song written for visual media. He's thankful for the collaboration and proud of Jaouad, a writer who is battling cancer for a third time. In December, she revealed her diagnosis on social media. 'She's a one of a kind human being, like a person who has so much light from within,' Batiste said. 'You look into her eyes and you see the work. I'm very glad that she was able to not only survive, but have this alchemizing process of it all to lift it into something that's even more than just a way of making lemonade out of lemons.' He added: 'This is more than just taking a bad thing and making it good. It's almost a blessing, as wild as it is to think about it like that.' Batiste's anthem of growth and homecoming While crafting 'Notes from My Future Self,' Batiste had three things on his mind: returning home, the national anthem and the wide-eyed wonder of him at 6 years old. 'It really brought together so many things in my subconscious,' said the seven-time Grammy winner. "It brought them together, like all these stories, notes. What would the young me think about what's happening now and how to really connect to this moment from their inner child plays in this song? It just came out of that.' Batiste called the upbeat song an anthem that represents self-empowerment for himself and others too. He said making the song was a profound journey of artistic realization. 'When you hear the song and you're listening, it's me talking to my younger me,' he said. 'But it could also be you, talking to young you. In a moment like this, it's important for us to heal, to really thrive and be rooted in who we are. We have to go back to that kid.' Batiste said the musical foundation came while talking to director Alan Ferguson, his frequent collaborator. He said they had a vision of using spoken word, poetry and hip-hop within the context of 'radical cause, positivity and openness.' 'It's a celebration of life,' he said. 'It's a natural intuition and the visual possibility and the evolution of me as an artist is just me going into this new zone. ... When it aligns like that, that's how I know it's the right direction." What's next for Batiste After Batiste's Super Bowl performance, his next goal is creating visuals for 'Notes from My Future Self" and hitting the road for a concert tour. Full details have to yet been released, but he's looking to perform new music and songs from Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1),' which reimagined the iconic German pianist's work. 'You really get a twofer on this next run,' Batiste said. Batiste spreads love and music before big game performance Before delivering the national anthem, Jon Batiste brought his signature energy to New Orleans' 9th Ward, turning a neighborhood into a stage for joy and community. His He Gets Us Presents Jon Batiste's Love Riot Festival transformed the grounds of George Washington Carver High School into a celebration of music, hope, and action. The event also highlighted plans for a future sports field to serve local schools. 'I wanted to make something where we go to the places that are forgotten but are the foundation,' Batiste said. 'They are the foundation of why we want to come to New Orleans in the first place and go to those communities.' Batiste, alongside Sing for Hope, led 10 New Orleans artists in creating hand-painted pianos, scattered throughout the 9th Ward as an open invitation to the festival. After the event, these vibrant instruments will find permanent homes in schools and community centers, keeping the music alive long after the final note. 'They greatest thing we can do is serve and not take it,' he said. 'It's a holistic view. ... Yes, I'm honored to sing at the Super Bowl. I also want to leave something that impacts the community, my hometown.' ___
Associated Press
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Jon Batiste's reimagined Super Bowl anthem highlighted wife's painting and set stage for new music
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jon Batiste transformed the Super Bowl stage into a symphony of creativity, debuting new music, reimagining 'The Star-Spangled Banner' and shining a global spotlight on his wife's creative vision. As Batiste performed the national anthem Sunday, the multi-talented musician played a piano adorned with a colorful butterfly painting by his wife, Suleika Jaouad, who came up with the idea while making their documentary 'American Symphony.' Her artwork, the city's resilience after the New Year's attack, and the memory of his late veteran grandfather all fueled his performance. 'This was powerful. The spirit came over me,' Batiste told The Associated Press after his performance at the Caesars Superdome. On Monday he unveiled 'My United State,' a two-track project featuring 'Star-Spangled Blues' and 'Notes from My Future Self.' 'It's the first time in the history of the anthem that had samples included in it,' said Batiste, a Louisiana native who is a Grammy and Oscar winner and former bandleader for the 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' 'We almost couldn't clear the main sample that I wanted until the night before.' Batiste, 38, said his reinvented national anthem draws from 'Drag Rap' by The Showboys — better known as the Triggerman beat — a staple of New Orleans bounce and hip-hop culture. He aimed to showcase the city's rich culture and heritage while putting his own stamp on a song that was first echoed at the Super Bowl in 1967, performed by The Pride of Arizona, the Michigan Marching Band and the UCLA Choir. Over the years, the anthem has been reimagined by music legends like Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Billy Joel, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. 'It's a lot of pieces to the puzzle,' he said. 'They all come in different tempos and melodies. It's a whole lot of things that wouldn't never work together unless it was framed by the American ideal. I wanted to capture it in an arrangement. Just in the sound.' In an AP interview, Batiste reflected on his wife's resilience, new songs, an upcoming tour and his festival this weekend that will leave a lasting musical impact on New Orleans. Batiste's wife's resilience shown through her painting During the filming of 'American Symphony,' inspiration struck — not just in the documentary, but on canvas. As Jaouad painted, one creation that took flight was a vivid butterfly, embodying what he calls the 'power of resilience, delicate beauty, and grace.' Jaouad's painting was on the piano and bench Sunday. 'It's the balance of this duality,' he said about watching his wife creatively express herself during 'American Symphony,' which won a Grammy for best music film. 'It Never Went Away' from the documentary also won best song written for visual media. He's thankful for the collaboration and proud of Jaouad, a writer who is battling cancer for a third time. In December, she revealed her diagnosis on social media. 'She's a one of a kind human being, like a person who has so much light from within,' Batiste said. 'You look into her eyes and you see the work. I'm very glad that she was able to not only survive, but have this alchemizing process of it all to lift it into something that's even more than just a way of making lemonade out of lemons.' He added: 'This is more than just taking a bad thing and making it good. It's almost a blessing, as wild as it is to think about it like that.' Batiste's anthem of growth and homecoming While crafting 'Notes from My Future Self,' Batiste had three things on his mind: returning home, the national anthem and the wide-eyed wonder of him at 6 years old. 'It really brought together so many things in my subconscious,' said the seven-time Grammy winner. 'It brought them together, like all these stories, notes. What would the young me think about what's happening now and how to really connect to this moment from their inner child plays in this song? It just came out of that.' Batiste called the upbeat song an anthem that represents self-empowerment for himself and others too. He said making the song was a profound journey of artistic realization. 'When you hear the song and you're listening, it's me talking to my younger me,' he said. 'But it could also be you, talking to young you. In a moment like this, it's important for us to heal, to really thrive and be rooted in who we are. We have to go back to that kid.' Batiste said the musical foundation came while talking to director Alan Ferguson, his frequent collaborator. He said they had a vision of using spoken word, poetry and hip-hop within the context of 'radical cause, positivity and openness.' 'It's a celebration of life,' he said. 'It's a natural intuition and the visual possibility and the evolution of me as an artist is just me going into this new zone. ... When it aligns like that, that's how I know it's the right direction.' What's next for Batiste After Batiste's Super Bowl performance, his next goal is creating visuals for 'Notes from My Future Self' and hitting the road for a concert tour. Full details have to yet been released, but he's looking to perform new music and songs from Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1),' which reimagined the iconic German pianist's work. 'You really get a twofer on this next run,' Batiste said. Batiste spreads love and music before big game performance Before delivering the national anthem, Jon Batiste brought his signature energy to New Orleans' 9th Ward, turning a neighborhood into a stage for joy and community. His He Gets Us Presents Jon Batiste's Love Riot Festival transformed the grounds of George Washington Carver High School into a celebration of music, hope, and action. The event also highlighted plans for a future sports field to serve local schools. 'I wanted to make something where we go to the places that are forgotten but are the foundation,' Batiste said. 'They are the foundation of why we want to come to New Orleans in the first place and go to those communities.' Batiste, alongside Sing for Hope, led 10 New Orleans artists in creating hand-painted pianos, scattered throughout the 9th Ward as an open invitation to the festival. After the event, these vibrant instruments will find permanent homes in schools and community centers, keeping the music alive long after the final note. 'They greatest thing we can do is serve and not take it,' he said. 'It's a holistic view. ... Yes, I'm honored to sing at the Super Bowl. I also want to leave something that impacts the community, my hometown.'
