Photo by Adam David Roberts.
Today’s national anthem will be performed by a true New Orleans renaissance man – a vocalist, a songwriter, an actor, an educator, a philosopher, and a creative director – an artist in every sense of the word. Berkley the Artist.
Performing the Star-Spangled Banner is a culmination of sorts for the native of the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans and graduate of McDonogh 35 High School. In 1991, when Whitney Houston performed the national anthem at the Super Bowl, the 10-year-old future artist was moved and inspired.
“Whitney’s performance was the first time I saw the national anthem performed in a way that stirred my soul,” Berkley said. “It was more than just a song; it was familiar; and she sang it for me too. I’m a part of America. When I heard her, I said, ‘I will sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl and it will be incredible!’ And I’ve been practicing ever since.”
Berkley has performed the national anthem many times through his career and in November of 2021, he turned in a memorable performance at a New Orleans Pelicans game and caught the ear of Sugar Bowl officials. The next day, they put in a call to Berkley and he was overjoyed for the opportunity, but there was one problem. He had left New Orleans immediately after the Pelicans game for a performance residency in South Korea.
In addition to performing in South Korea, Berkley established the first gospel-soul choir in the country on Jeju Island. Establishing the choir was a natural for him because teaching is also a critical aspect of his repertoire.
“When I was 11 years old, my mother said to me, ‘If you’re going to be a singer, you need to learn everything there is about music.’ I could sing jazz and gospel, but she enrolled me in a classical voice class. She put me in the New Orleans Children’s Chorus. I learned everything about being an artist and not just a singer. I want to understand everything there is about the craft – acting, writing, producing, teaching, philosophy. I want to entertain and transform the room and not just your ears. I called myself The Artist because I do all the things that involve Creation.”
He also developed a very strong affinity for teachers, something he has in common with the Sugar Bowl Committee, crediting teachers at every level for giving him opportunities.
“The reason why I am good is because I had great teachers – grade-school, high school, college,” Berkley said. “My father is a pastor; I grew up singing in his church. My dad even let me direct the church choir when I was a young boy – I was directing my own grandmother who sang and played piano. That gave me an affinity to teach music and to help artists and singers be great.”
As an adult, he has expanded his teaching to the collegiate level. He earned a distinguished professorship of pop/commercial music at Loyola University, a position that he held from 2019-2021 until he departed for South Korea. And while he was in Korea establishing the choir, he continued to teach by making videos on TikTok and Instagram demonstrating the process.
“I got a call from a colleague from Juilliard [the legendary performing arts school in New York City]. She said a friend of hers saw my videos; they wanted to interview me for a professorship teaching pop commercial music at the Roc Nation School of Music at LIU-Brooklyn. I interviewed from Korea; the interview went well; and they asked if I could be in New York for Sept. 5. My contract in Korea ended Sept. 1 so I flew 17 hours to New York and went to a faculty meeting the next day.”
“I love teaching as much as I love performing. I get to see someone evolve into something brilliant. I had a little bit to do with that. Both give me joy and fullness; it’s watching something grow.”
Shortly after arriving in New York, he strolled by the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club on West 3rd St.
“There was a sold out show so I couldn’t go in. But I stopped anyway. I stood and looked in the window at the stage and imagined myself performing there. A few weeks later, I saw that [red-hot New Orleans artist] Tank & the Bangas were coming to town. Tank and I grew up together, she was a couple years behind me, so I sent her a text and said I was in New York. She responded quickly and said, “You want to sing?” Three weeks later, I was singing in the Blue Note. I looked back at that window and I said to myself, ‘We did it. We did it.’”
A graduate of Dillard University in New Orleans with a B.A. in vocal music performance, Berkley has performed all over the world. He toured with international Chinese and Korean pop-soul stars, Jane Zhang and Annale. In 2020 he was featured on the GRAMMY nominated Tank and the Bangas’ remake of "What the World Needs Now" featuring PJ Morton and David Shaw. He is also a BET's Sunday Best top 10 alum.
But no matter where he performs or teaches, he stays true to his hometown.
“I love representing New Orleans,” he said. “It has the best musicians in the entire world. We are so diverse, from Amanda Shaw to Glen David Andrews to Irvin Mayfield, every single part of the New Orleans culture brings something different. Our city is not one-dimensional when it comes to music, it is inclusive of everything. Any time I have the chance to represent New Orleans, I want to make sure my city is shining.”
Today, he has the opportunity to represent New Orleans in New Orleans, performing the national anthem for a massive crowd of fans from around the country. And the Sugar Bowl officials who saw him over a year ago at a Pelicans game finally get to see him deliver the anthem with his distinctive style.
“Today, I plan to be a vocalist,” Berkley said. “I’m going to use all of my training, and I’ll use all of my influence of being a black soul singer from New Orleans. I’m going to make sure to hit the notes – I’m going to give people what they want and I know they want the high notes. But I’m also give them what they need – soul, love and guts. You have to have guts when you sing the anthem simply because of the way it’s composed. I’m going to say my prayer and let God come through me.”
Find more about Berkley the Artist by visiting his website: BerkleytheArtist.com, or by following him on Twitter (@BerkleyWasHere), Instagram (@BerkleytheArtist) and TikTok.
