'Holy moly, we just did the Super Bowl': Winnipeg woman part of opening ceremonies

WINNIPEG -

A Winnipeg woman knocked an item off her bucket list over the weekend as she got to perform at the Super Bowl.

Karen Kosowski, a music producer and songwriter, helped arrange the national anthem performed by Mickey Guyton at the Super Bowl and she was part of the performance as well.

"Holy moly, we just did the Super Bowl," laughed Kosowski in an interview with CTV News.

She said she has been working with Mickey Guyton since moving to Nashville in 2018 and has helped produce and write music with her.

The national anthem is sung before the NFL Super Bowl 56 football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

She said Guyton asked her to be a part of the Super Bowl performance back in December.

"It was a long process of working out the choir parts, and the piano and figuring out how everything is going to work. And Mickey, she is based in L.A. right now. So we were on Zoom a lot, working it all out and testing things out and trying out things for the arrangement until we found something that we felt really great about."

Kosowski said she went back and watched all the previous performances of the national anthem at the Super Bowl to help her prepare for the opportunity.

When it came to the actual day, she said the energy at SoFi Stadium was unreal as they were getting ready to perform.

"It's just a commotion. The stands are full of people and there's so much going and I just kind of stood there feeling the energy, the intense energy. That was something I will never forget."

Kosowski also touched on being able to perform at the same event as Eminem, Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent, who did the halftime show.

"It's one of those things you never really dream of … and I got to tell you Snoop knows how to make an entrance into the green room. We heard this music playing and he came in and he had this big 90s-style boom box on his shoulder and he just walked into the green room."

Karen Kosowski rehearsing before the Super Bowl was held on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022. (Source: Karen Kosowski)

Looking back at her Winnipeg roots, where she started playing piano in South St. Vital, she said she is super proud to be able to represent the city on such a big stage.

"The Super Bowl has such a reach and I've received so many cool messages from people that I haven't heard from in years. People I went to high school with at Glenlawn Collegiate or my old band directors."

The bucket list items aren't done for Kosowski yet either as she is now preparing for the Grammys.

"Mickey's record, that I was a majority producer on, is nominated for three Grammys and I'm going to get to go to the Grammys for the first time in my life. So I'm really stoked about that. It's bonkers.”