Sisters Nikki and Makena Mugambi of Edison, students at the Wardlaw-Hartridge School, performed with Queen Latifah at the Super Bowl on Feb. 2. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RUDY BRANDL EDISON — Two sisters who live in the township were queens for a day when they got the chance to perform with Queen Latifah at Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium.
Nikki and Makena Mugambi, students at the Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison, sang “America the Beautiful” with the New Jersey Youth Chorus and Queen Latifah in front of millions of viewers from around the world.
“When we first got in the stadium, there were so many people, and the crowd right above us was taking so many pictures of us,” Nikki said. “When we sang, it felt like the entire stadium was silent, just listening to our voices.”
While standing on the field and singing with Queen Latifah was memorable, Makena actually enjoyed the Friday rehearsal at MetLife Stadium even more. She and her choir mates sang for Queen Latifah and had the opportunity to interact with the star.
The Mugambi sisters talk with Queen Latifah at MetLife Stadium. After getting ready for their big performance, they went to Times Square and participated in the festivities at Super Bowl Boulevard on Friday night.
“It was all just super intense,” Makena said. “I nearly fell down. It was an incredible experience.”