Brandy tore down the house with her rendition of the National Anthem at the NFC Championship game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, on Sunday — and she did it while paying tribute to her friend, the late Whitney Houston.
via People:
The Grammy-winning singer, 42, delivered a stunning rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Sunday’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers.
“AMEN BRANDY!!!” Kelly Rowland tweeted along with a video of the performance. Snoop Dogg also applauded her powerhouse vocals on Instagram with a series of emojis: “??????????????.”
However, her voice wasn’t the only thing turning heads. The Queens star also caught the attention of eagle-eyed fans with her outfit, which brought a sentimental dose of nostalgia.
Rocking a red, white and black Prada tracksuit, Brandy appeared to channel the late Houston’s sporty attire from her iconic 1991 Super Bowl performance — and people were quick to point out the striking similarities between the two.
“One thing about Brandy, she’s gonna always find a way to pay homage to Whitney Houston #NFCChampionship,” one Twitter user wrote.
“Brandy and her ode to Whitney Houston with this jumpsuit is literally giving me the chills,” another tweet read.
“If my girl Brandy don’t do anything else, she’s going to pay tribute to her idol one way or another,” another fan commented.
Throughout the years, Brandy has been forthcoming about her admiration for Houston, who tragically died in 2012 at the age of 48.
The “Boy Is Mine” singer previously collaborated with her idol on the 1997 movie musical Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, in which Brandy was cast in the title role, while Houston co-produced and played the part of the Fairy Godmother.
“My childhood dreams were to be a singer, touch as many people as I could and to meet Whitney Houston, just meet her,” Brandy told PEOPLE in August 2020.
“So to meet her, hang out with her and sing with her,” she added, “it was unbelievable. For her to cast me in such a role, the first Black princess, I don’t know the words to really describe what that feels like.”
Speaking to PEOPLE in 2021, Brandy fondly recalled the experience “was a collaborative thing, and what I loved about working with her is that I was allowed to contribute, I was allowed to be myself.” She added, “And then I was allowed to get all the pointers from her that I could soak in.”
Brandy continued, “We had some beautiful, funny moments that I can remember forever. She’s really my angel, and I’m just so appreciative to her for this opportunity.”
Brandy knocked it out of the park!
AMEN BRANDY!!! pic.twitter.com/TbiMi6fCUl
— KELENDRIA ROWLAND (@KELLYROWLAND) January 30, 2022
