The Alum Behind the Sound of the Super Bowl

The Alum Behind the Sound of the Super Bowl Joshua Sutherland BM '19 was recently interviewed by the Boston Globe about his role as music supervisor for the NFL, and he isnt the only Berklee connection involved in Super Bowl LX.

February 6, 2026

By

Tara Bellucci

Joshua Sutherland

Image by Jeff Lewis

Super Bowl LX is shaping up to be an exciting one for New Englanders-Berklee in particular. The Patriots are making their first appearance since 2019, this time against the Seattle Seahawks. Charlie Puth BM '13 will kick off the festivities by singing the national anthem. And while his face wont be plastered all over the screen, Joshua Sutherland BM '19 is the man behind the rest of the music for the big game.

The Boston Globe recently interviewed Sutherland about his role as one of the leagues two music supervisors, where hes the bridge between the music industry and the NFL, choosing and licensing music for use in broadcasts, campaigns, and social media. And its not as easy as just picking a playlist based on vibes-music supervisors often have to play detective to track down rights owners, and then negotiate those deals while staying on budget. Sutherland told Berklee Today in 2024 about once licensing a song so new that the rights hadnt been worked out yet. He ended up having to deal with 11 writers and seven publishers just for the one song.

Sutherland grew up in Randolph, Massachusetts, and moved to Mattapan to attend Boston Arts Academy, the citys public performing arts high school. He received a City Music scholarship to Berklee, where he studied electronic production and design (EPD). He moved to LA and did sync licensing for HBO projects like Euphoria and Rap Sh!t before joining the NFL.

The Patriots Super Bowl AnthemYou may hear the sounds of another Berklee connection during Sundays game. Roy Studmire, assistant professor of contemporary writing and production (CWP), wrote and performed an anthem based on the Patriots team motto, We all we got, we all we need. The song quickly went viral on social media after he released it befor the AFC Championship game. Sutherland then licensed the song for the NFL and NFL Network.

@iamroystudmire Let's make this the new #PATRIOTS theme song! WE ALL WE GOT! WE ALL WE NEED!! LET STRAP UP! Drop a share this and tag @patriots

original sound - Roy Studmire --

Literally when I started creating, I heard this sound. It sounds like a warning sound, like we are coming after the title, Studmire told CBS News. Obviously, we are in the bounce era and people bouncing on the field. Im literally visualizing all of this as Im creating it.

Pablo Mungu a

Bad Bunnys Halftime ShowFor those just tuning in for Bad Bunny, youll have Pablo Mungu a '98 to thank for the clear sound. Berklee Valencias director of music production, technology, and innovation (MPTI) is back as the audio engineer for this years halftime show. Hes worked on some of the biggest past shows, including Lady Gaga, the 50 years of hip hop tribute, and Prince (his personal favorite), along with many other live broadcasts, such as the Academy Awards, the Grammys, and the MTV Video Music Awards.

The Super Bowl Halftime Show is the most challenging musical event on the planet, from a logistical standpoint, Mungu a said in 2017. A fully operational stage, complete with lighting, video, fireworks, audio, and musical instruments, has to be assembled from scratch, line tested, and be ready for show in roughly seven minutes, in the middle of a football field, without damaging the field.

He also noted that the 12-minute show must wow and awe an audience of over 100 million television viewers that has come to expect the extraordinary.

Tara Bellucci is Berklees director of content strategy. She has been a writer, editor, and digital media consultant for over a decade.

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The Alum Behind the Sound of the Super Bowl Joshua Sutherland BM '19 was recently interviewed by the Boston Globe about his role as music supervisor for the NFL, and he isnt the only Berklee connection involved in Super Bowl LX.

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