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For Chris Stapleton, 2001 marked the year he stepped into the country music industry. While the singer holds a staggering eight Grammy Awards and is on the list of 200 Greatest Singers of All Time, he wasn’t always known for his raspy voice and ability to make NFL coaches cry. Before taking over country music, the singer spent over 15 years writing for other artists.
It wasn’t until he performed with Justin Timberlake at the 2015 CMA Awards did people first noticed his now-legendary voice. And for those who weren’t country music fans, they got a taste of the singer during his 2023 Super Bowl performance of the National Anthem. Although a new NFL season is underway, Stapleton recently discussed how he felt before taking the field.
Talking about his career in country music on Sunday Today with Willie Geist, Chris Stapleton admitted that he always enjoyed singing, but people didn’t take him seriously. “I always sang. And then I think at some point, people only maybe regard it as special or something when you start to have some kind of notoriety with it. Otherwise, you’re a dude that sings.”
From Songwriter To Singer
Besides being a “dude that sings,” Chris Stapleton explained how he spent too long trying to sound like the singers who inspired him. “I spent a long time trying to be other people. Like, I love Vince Gill. I tried so hard to be Vince Gill and sound like Vince Gill. There’s lots of demo recordings of me wishing I was Vince Gill.”
Chris Stapleton found the demos and years of training his voice part of the process, suggesting, “Eventually, you hopefully, through all those influences and also focusing on what it is that you do, you find out what that is. And then you put that out there, and if that’s something special that people think is special, that’s great.”
Chris Stapleton Was Terrified
With his album Higher set for release on November 10, Chris Stapleton spent the last few months promoting his new work. And with that came questions surrounding his Super Bowl performance. Not shying away from the stress that is put on a singer to perform such an iconic song, Stapleton revealed being “terrified” about the opportunity. “The National Anthem is a hard one for any singer. I don’t care who you are.” He insisted, “I might have worked on that more than I worked on for any other television performance.”
While overcome with nerves, Chris Stapleton’s performance at the Super Bowl did more than bring tears to Nick Sirianni and Jason Kelce. It also landed him in a debate with Whitney Houston. With many considering Houston’s National Anthem the best, some have tossed Stapleton’s name in the running as well. Always humble, the singer wouldn’t entertain such a debate.
Who would you like to see perform the National Anthem at the Super Bowl? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below.
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