H.E.R. Singing the National Anthem at the Olympic Closing Ceremony Will Blow You Away

It’s rare for a performer to distinguish herself from the pack when singing the National Anthem, but H.E.R. brought Olympic-level intensity to the Closing Ceremony of Paris 2024. Known for her emotional ballads and incredible vocal range, the R&B singer transfixed the audience, all 70,000 people at the Stade de France where the ceremonies took place, and millions more watching the dazzling spectacle on NBC from home.

The 27-year-old belted out the National Anthem from Paris as part of an exciting handover from the City of Light to the City of Angels, where the Summer Olympics will take place in 2028. Wearing a flowing all-white jumpsuit and her signature shades, H.E.R. began the song as a reflective ballad and then picked it up to rock out on guitar. She finished on a soaring note as she delivered the lines “Land of the free, home of the brave.”

The performers in the “Los Angeles” portion of the closing ceremony were chosen for their connection to California, including H.E.R., who hails from Vallejo, California, and has earned more than a few “medals” of her own.

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All About the Singer H.E.R.

H.E.R performs The Star-Spangled Banner during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games at Stade de France in Paris, France. Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images

Best known for her powerful R&B singing, H.E.R. blew away Olympic audiences with her powerful version of the National Anthem, but the Bay Area native is bursting with other musical talents. The multi-instrumentalist plays drums, bass, piano, and absolutely shreds on the guitar, leading one to wonder if there’s anything she can’t do. With five Grammy’s to her name and an astonishing 25 nominations since dropping her first EP in 2016, the young singer from California, whose real name is Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, has come a long way since her musical journey began.

H.E.R.’s rise to stardom began when she was ten and performed Alicia Key’s “If I Ain’t Got You” on the TODAY show. By age 14, she had already released her first single, “Something to Prove,” followed by an EP in 2016, “H.E.R. Volume 1.” Then came 2021, a banner year for the young performer: her first full-length album, “Back of My Mind” shot to the top of the Billboard R&B albums chart, debuting at number one. She also released the memorable tribute, “I Can’t Breathe” — a protest song honoring George Floyd — and won the Grammy for Song of the Year, not to mention a second Grammy for her hit, “Better Than I Imagined.”

H.E.R. (which stands for Having Everything Revealed) also brought down the house at the Super Bowl in 2021 with her performance of “America the Beautiful.”

The official handoff to Los Angeles included a surprise

U.S. actor Tom Cruise lands on the roof of one of the stadium entrances during the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, in the outskirts of Paris, on August 11, 2024. Photo: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images

In Olympic tradition, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo gave the Olympic flag to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to make the transfer to the next host city official. This year, the most decorated American Olympic gymnast held the flag: Simone Biles, who won two golds and a silver in Paris, helping Team USA rule the podium. Biles then passed the flag to Mission: Impossible actor Tom Cruise, who parachuted into Los Angeles as part of the handoff.

The countdown to LA28 is underway, and if this glimpse is any indication, it’s sure to bring the thrills. But there’s still more to come: the Paralympic Opening Ceremony takes place on August 15, with games running through August 27.