When Lauren Daigle steps onto the Super Bowl stage this Sunday to perform “America the Beautiful,” it will be more than just a musical performance—it will be a moment of triumph, faith and vindication. The 33-year-old Christian music star’s journey to this pinnacle reflects the very essence of perseverance and the unwavering belief that God rewards those who stand firm in their faith.
Daigle’s return to New Orleans for one of the most-watched television events in the world is a full-circle moment. It’s a city that once tried to silence her voice, but now, it celebrates her talent on one of the biggest stages imaginable. Reflecting on her journey, Daigle shared on the “Arroyo Grande” podcast, “To get this moment years later, I would say for anybody watching that has had their reputations smeared in any sort of way and they are just waiting for the moment of vindication, sometimes it only takes five years.”
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In 2020, Daigle faced public backlash from New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell after giving an impromptu performance at a prayer rally led by Christian worship leader Sean Feucht. The rally, part of Feucht’s “Let Us Worship” tour, protested COVID-19 restrictions on churches, and Daigle’s spontaneous participation drew criticism from city officials. Cantrell even demanded that Daigle be barred from performing at “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” labeling her a “weapon to society.”
Daigle recalled the sting of that moment: “I went home to Lafayette, and I got in my parents’ bed and I pulled the covers over my head as an adult. I was like, ‘Gosh, here we are again.’ Because now there’s no amount of public ridicule that is fun.”
Yet, through the trials, Daigle leaned on her faith. The Bible speaks to moments like these in James 1:12, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
Rather than allowing the criticism to define her, Daigle chose to focus on hope and unity.
“What I learned is that when people need an element of hope, coming together is one of the most beautiful things,” she says. “It is one of the most incredible rights that we have in this country.” Her words echo Romans 5:3-4, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
As reported by Fox News, when Trombone Shorty called to invite her to perform at the Super Bowl, Daigle was in disbelief.
“I picked up the phone, and there was a little bit of, ‘Is this real? Is this actually going to happen?’ I want to know that it’s real,” she recounts. But it was real, and it was a testament to the faithfulness of God in her life.
Daigle’s performance will not only be a tribute to New Orleans and her hometown of Lafayette, but it will also reflect her deep Christian roots. Speaking about the song, she said, “When it says, ‘God shed His grace on me,’ that line, it just really gripped me to the core in a way. I’ve sung songs talking about God, right? But when you see a song that is meant for something else, and it still includes the power of God in it… there’s something unique about this.”
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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
