Tyrese Gibson had some old-school inspiration for his Sunday performance of the National Anthem at the preseason game between the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys. Ahead of his now-viral performance at SoFi Stadium, the 45-year-old spoke to ET’s Kevin Frazier and shared why he wanted to recreate Marvin Gaye’s rendition of the song when he sang for the Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders in 1974.
“Marvin is a tough act to follow. I stand on the shoulders of Marvin, Donnie Hathaway, Stevie Wonder [and many more], so what I’m going to attempt to do — and hopefully I don’t fail at it — is hold hands with what Marvin Gaye did at the Great Western Forum,” the singer told ET.
He continued, “I think as an R&B singer and a singer in general — and I think everybody will agree with this — there [are] two legendary anthem [performances]: it’s Whitney Houston [and] there’s Marvin Gaye. That version of the anthem held hands with ‘Lean On Me’ and the Black National Anthem [‘Lift Every Voice’].”
Tyrese played coy when asked what fans could expect from his performance, which featured the singer in what fans assumed was an homage to Gaye in both wardrobe and styling. He sported a black and white patterned shirt, a fringe vest, bell-bottom pants and a wool cap, which was similar to Gaye’s signature look. The “Sweet Lady” singer also topped off the look with a toupee and a beard.
But as Tyrese explained to ET, the look was actually for his “Wildflower” music video dedicated to his late mother and directed by Santiago Salviche. The song was originally sung by the Canadian band Skylark, whose alumni include composer/arranger David Foster.
The Fast & Furious star wasn’t shy to gush about the momentous occasion, telling ET that he had never dreamed of the moment growing up as “the biggest Rams fan ever.”
“Every single day feels like Christmas. I can’t believe my life and, I tell people who work with me and for me, no two days will ever be the same because that’s who God is in my life,” Tyrese shared. “Everybody else had five minutes of fame, I had 30 seconds, and look at God. I’m about to sing the National Anthem holding hands with Marvin Gaye who performed next door in an arena that did not exist when he did it.”
And after his performance, the father of two got emotional sharing the moment with ET backstage.
“It’s for my mother. Four kids and only two of us left. I was the only one born and raised in LA. This means the world to me,” he shared. “I hit a few bad notes but Marvin Gaye, I hope I made you proud. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. This is a moment. I’m so overwhelmed right now with the opportunity. This could’ve been given to anybody. I’m so my heart is so full right now.”
“This is a big moment for me and I’m grateful,” he added.
Tyrese’s inspired performance led to mixed reviews from fans, who were scratching their heads in confusion at his appearance on social media. But the singer graciously shugged off those comments in an Instagram post shared on Sunday evening.
Responding to a post that said he “failed miserably” at emulating Gaye, Tyrese wrote, “Respectfully I don’t really know if I agree….Few bad notes? Mheeeee that’s an open mic for you…..”
“God is the greatest, we live in the best county in the world and I really really tried,” he added.
Still, the singer was happy to look at the bright side of the criticism. Per Tyrese, the influx of reactions to his performance caused his website to crash from pre-orders for his new album, Beautiful Pain.
In Sunday’s Instagram post, he noted, “My website crashed. I’m sorry please go to Tyrese.Tv and try one more time to get onto the site. I’m so sorry. I’ve never had this many people on my side at one time Tyrese.Tv. Less than 30 days of the release of #BeautifulPain. Sorry.”
“Smile…. 😊 it’s a viiiiiiibbbbeeeee!!!!!!!,” he concluded the post.
While speaking with ET before his performance, Tyrese opened up about his upcoming release, as well as his role in the film, 1992.
The singer shared that Beautiful Pain was executived produced by Foster and Brandon Bamhudge, whom he says came out of retirement to work with him on the album.
“I have been on the most painful journey ever and my album [is] about my divorce [and] about me finding love again,” he explained. “When you ask god to protect you from all things, people, and situations that no longer serve you, it may include your wife. It may include your childhood friends, it may include your husband, it may include people that, in your mind [you’re] like, ‘I’ve never went 24 hours without talking or communicating or existing with this person.’ So you can’t pray that prayer and not expect God to God.”
Tyrese has been in a relationship with his girlfriend, Zelie Timothy, for over three years and went public with their relationship in March 2021, when they were spotted together in Atlanta at the NBA All-Star Game.
The singer has been married twice before: first to ex-wife, Norma Gibson, with whom he shares his 16-year-old old daughter, Shayla Somer Gibson, and second to his ex-wife, Samantha Lee Gibson, whom he married on Valentine’s Day 2017.
Tyrese told ET that while he “wish[es Samantha] well,” and he got into the studio after their separation to “create an album that I wish everybody else recorded but me.”
Beautiful Pain will be released on Aug. 30, the same day as the Ariel Vromen-directed drama, 1992. The title refers to the first night of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which is when and where the film is set.
The singer stars alongside Scott Eastwood and the late Ray Liotta, who died at the age of 67 in May 2022.
The film’s official synopsis reads, “In 1992, Mercer (Tyrese) endeavors to restore his life and relationship with his son during the unrest following the Rodney King verdict. Meanwhile, in another part of town, a father and son (Liotta and Eastwood) confront their troubled relationship by planning a perilous heist at Mercer’s workplace. As tensions in Los Angeles escalate and chaos ensues, the two families cross paths.”
“This film was done in the spirit of what I lived and experienced in ’92,” Tyrese told ET. “I was in the riots, I was protesting, I looted. I was scared but I was out there. I’m 45 so I was literally living in South Central LA, Watts, when this all happened. I remember the ashes, I remember the fear of military and tanks being in the hood with police officers.”
Beautiful Pain will hit streamers on Aug. 30. 1992 will be available in limited theaters on Aug. 30.
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