Entertainment

Demi Lovato draws Whitney Houston comparisons after Super Bowl performance

The 27-year-old pop star performed the US national anthem before Sunday’s showpiece NFL match.
The 27-year-old pop star performed the US national anthem before Sunday’s showpiece NFL match. The 27-year-old pop star performed the US national anthem before Sunday’s showpiece NFL match.

Demi Lovato continued her comeback with a well-received performance of the US national anthem during the Super Bowl.

The US pop star, who performed at the Grammys last week nearly two years after suffering a near-fatal drug overdose, sang The Star Spangled Banner before the NFL’s showpiece event in Miami, Florida.

Wearing a white jumpsuit, the 27-year-old delivered a flawless rendition of the song.

Writing on Instagram afterwards, Lovato described the moment as a “dream come true”.

Lovato was praised online for her performance and received a standing ovation from fans inside the Hard Rock Stadium.

Writing on Twitter, one viewer said: “Demi Lovato ROCKED the national anthem. What a voice.”

Another commented: “WOW Demi Lovato, that was freaking amazing.”

And another wrote: “To think we nearly lost this voice. So proud of you, @ddlovato.”

Many fans also speculated Lovato’s performance topped that of Whitney Houston’s, whose 1991 Super Bowl rendition of The Star Spangled Banner is widely seen as the gold standard.

Shortly before taking to the stage, Lovato shared one of her tweets from 2010, predicting that one day she would perform the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

In singing the anthem, Lovato joins artists including Lady Gaga, Pink and Christina Aguilera.

Lovato paused her career after she suffered a drug overdose in the summer of 2018. She later said she was “grateful” to be alive.