Remember when Beyoncé performed the national anthem unexpectedly for media members prior to her Super Bowl halftime show last year? Bey gave the impromptu performance after being criticized for lip-syncing the song at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. Well, singer Elle Varner recently did something very similar.
After performing the national anthem before the start of the Entertainers Basketball Classic America Celebrity Basketball Challenge on Sunday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Varner went to speak to media members. When she was told that most of the individuals in the room didn’t hear her rendition of the national anthem, she asked if we wanted to hear it again. After many in the room replied affirmatively, she then picked the anthem up in mid-song and performed it to completion, to the approval of all in the room. She then took time to answer a few questions relating to her new music.
When asked about her follow-up to her debut album, Perfectly Imperfect, Varner talked about some of the collaborations fans should expect to hear. “I worked a lot with Wale, J Cole, Chance the Rapper, A$AP Ferg, 2Chainz, Juicy J … I have a song with Nas,”
Varner also talked about the approach and feel that the new album will have. “It’s all about being authentic … it’s more soulful in the sense that you feel it in different ways,” she said.
Thus far, two songs, “Rover'” featuring Wale and “Don’t Wanna Dance” featuring A$AP Ferg have been leaked. Hopefully, Varner’s second release is received the same way that her rendition of the national anthem was received. If that indeed, happens, she will have her second album in two attempts that debuts in the top five on the Billboard charts.
