Rihanna isn’t the only star of the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show. ASL interpreter Justina Miles has gone viral for her epic performance signing RiRi’s best hits. Her flare and style added spice to the performance, and it’s evident that Miles had a blast on the job. Miles has made history as the first female deaf interpreter to participate in the halftime show. This isn’t Miles’s only big win, however, as the talented and outgoing interpreter also holds a silver medal as part of the USA’s Deaflympics 4×100 track relay team. She was also the valedictorian in high school.
At 20 years old, the Tik Tok star is already making a big name for herself. Along with Rihanna’s performance, Miles also signed “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” sung by Sheryl Lee Ralph. In a halftime show press conference, Miles signed how her work is “not only for me to share this experience with the whole world, but to really bring that empowerment to millions and millions of Black deaf people all over the country who’ve never really seen that before. I feel that is truly lifting every voice, even my voice.” This is the first year that the Super Bowl has featured deaf ASL interpreters. Miles was joined by Colin Denny and Academy Award winner Troy Kotsur.
ASL Interpreter Steals The Show
Miles has amassed a following on social media for her ASL interpretations of popular songs. Even though she’s hard of hearing, nothing has stopped the Philadelphia native from connecting the deaf community to music. Even with this remarkable success at such a young age, Miles has big plans for the future. She currently is a nursing student at Bowie State University (a school that features notable alumni like Wale and Toni Braxton).
In an interview with CNBC, Miles shared powerful words of wisdom as she said “not to let any obstacles prevent you from achieving your dreams, and to always believe in yourself to go beyond.” With the Super Bowl garnering over 100 million views nationwide, we sure do hope to see more of Miles spreading inclusion in other notable events.