Anjel Piñero lives by an inspirational motto. It’s something the Deaf actress, model, and dancer created and embraced when she competed in the Miss New York USA pageant last year.
“Being disabled is WHAT I am, and it has nothing to do with WHO I am,” Piñero, 23, told Remezcla during a recent interview. “If I want to do something big, I generate that by taking actions. Being Deaf and Latina is a big bonus because I’m committed to empowering others to aspire to achieve from my being.”
During the Super Bowl Kickoff Show prior to Super Bowl LVIII this Sunday (February 11), Piñero, who is of Puerto Rican descent, will get the opportunity to show more than 100 million viewers just who she is when she performs “America the Beautiful” in American Sign Language (ASL). She will sign the song inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas with Post Malone singing vocals.
“I feel like every fan would feel if they have the opportunity to even breathe next to [Post Malone],” Piñero said. “I am so excited to stand alongside him and maybe create something new after the Super Bowl. With his voice and my hands, we will inspire everyone with our rendition of ‘America the Beautiful.’”
Originally from Brooklyn and raised in the Bronx, Piñero is a graduate of New York School for the Deaf and from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Although the Super Bowl will be the first time she’s ever performed live in front of millions of people, Piñero is no stranger to the spotlight. Along with competing in pageants, she acted in a TV episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and performs onstage. She also shares a wide variety of content with her followers on TikTok.
Since learning she would perform at this year’s Super Bowl, Piñero has been “practicing the song like there is no tomorrow.” Her goal, she said, is to show everyone how beautiful songs can be when performed in ASL and to “take in the experience” of being at the biggest sporting event of the year.
“It’ll be my first time at a Super Bowl, and it’ll be an amazing feeling to just be there … as well as to have the opportunity to perform for everyone,” she said. “On top of that, I am always looking for ways to create opportunities … knowing that I will be surrounded by so many well-known people. I want to be able to create something out of nothing with them.”
One of those well-known people Piñero said she wouldn’t mind meeting while she is at the Super Bowl is Taylor Swift. The record-breaking singer and songwriter will, of course, be at the big game cheering on her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce.
“I would love to work with her,” Anjel Piñero said. “Who knows, she could be inspired by my performance on the field, and things can happen! So, Taylor, are you seeing this? DM me.”
The Super Bowl LVIII Kickoff Show begins at 6 p.m. EST on CBS. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. EST.
