Jordin Sparks to perform Star-Spangled Banner at Kentucky Derby
Jordin Sparks to sing National Anthem at Kentucky Derby 2011
Jordin Sparks, winner of the sixth season of “American Idol,” has been tapped to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 7. The National Anthem should be a breeze for Sparks, unlike the unfortunate Christina Aguilera, as she has already performed it once before at Super Bowl XLII in her hometown of Glendale, Arizona in 2008. She is also scheduled to perform the evening before at the black-tie Mint Jubilee gala, a charity event that supports cancer research, joining other luminaries like NBC sportscaster and gala host Bob Costas, “Entertainment Tonight” correspondent Maria Menounos, fashion designer Betsey Johnson, actress Jennifer Tilly, and Miss Kentucky 2011 Kia Hampton, among others.
Grammy-nominated Sparks has also been in the news this week for posting a picture of herself in a bikini on her Twitter page on Sunday, showing off an impressive 30-pound weight loss she attributes to working with a trainer and better eating habits. “Something just clicked with me back in December,” she said in an interview with AOL Music, “and I said, ‘You know what? Instead of just talking about being active, I’m just going to do it.’” Perhaps she is getting in shape for her upcoming summer tour, when she will open for the New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys. Their tour of the United States will begin on May 25 in Rosemont, IL and end on July 1 in Los Angeles. No doubt Sparks will be singing her bestselling hits like “No Air,” “Battleground,” and “Tattoo.”
The youngest “Idol” winner at 17, Jordin Sparks has in the four years since her victory recorded two albums, starred in a Broadway musical, and now she has just released a powerful new dance single, “I Am Woman,” from her upcoming yet-to-be-titled third album. She told AOL Music the song was “all about the strengths that a woman has – how we can multi-task and carry so much, yet still always be on point when we need to be and on cue when we need to be.” Sounds like a winner!
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