Chris Stapleton, Snoop Dogg Unleash New ESPN ‘Monday Night Football’ Anthem [Watch]
Chris Stapleton is lending his searing, soulful vocals to ESPN's new Monday Night Football anthem.
The performance, which will kick off MNF broadcasts starting this week, is an all-star cover of Phil Collins' classic "In the Air Tonight," which was originally released in 1981.
Rapper Snoop Dogg co-stars with Stapleton in the new rendition, and Cindy Blackman Santana will deliver the song's famous drum solo.
Stapleton shared a glitzy teaser clip to his socials on Monday morning (Sept. 18), set against a video that shows a cityscape at night, a line of cars pulled up next to a river. Wearing boots and a long dark coat, Stapleton walks down an alley and toward the cars, where he locks eyes with Snoop as the rapper gets out from behind the wheel of one vehicle.
The pair then launch into a sizzling performance, Santana jamming out behind her drum kit onstage as shadowy figures standing by cars hold up their lit cell phones.
At the end of the clip, a black screen announces that the newly-recorded "In the Air Tonight" will premiere on Monday night and feature before Monday Night Football games all season long.
Oddly enough, it seems that this refreshed version of "In the Air Tonight" isn't the only time Collins' classic hit will be getting a spotlight from a country singer this week. Kane Brown's next single, "I Can Feel It," is due to arrive on Thursday (Sept. 21), and according to a teaser post on social media, it'll sample "In the Air Tonight."
Monday Night Football is currently in Week 2 of games. This week, the New Orleans Saints will face off against the Carolina Panthers, and the Cleveland Browns will play the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Most recently, Stapleton has been releasing new music ahead of his next album Higher, which is scheduled for release on Nov. 10. The singer is also once again joining George Strait on tour in 2024, and some fans have speculated that Stapleton and Strait might be working on new music together.