Who is Justina Miles, Rihanna’s ASL interpreter who stole the show at Super Bowl LVII?
The ASL interpreter is Philly-bred, a decorated track star, and a two-time viral sensation.
The swagger of Rihanna’s viral Super Bowl LVII halftime performance interpreter was Philly-made.
Justina Miles, who was raised in Philadelphia, became the first Black women to interpret ASL during the Super Bowl pregame and halftime performances on Sunday after interpreting Sheryl Lee Ralph’s rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and all 13 minutes of Rihanna’s greatest hits compilation.
History making aside, Miles’ interpretation of Rihanna bangers have been making the rounds on Twitter, thanks to the feel-good-jam-session vibes she brought to her precision signing.
“Can we take a moment to appreciate Justina Miles for being an amazing ASL translator throughout the #FentyBowl,” wrote one Twitter user.
“Justina miles is a representation of me when ‘Pour it Up’ and ‘Pose’ came through #Superbowl,” tweeted another.
Miles, 20, has been putting her spin on ASL covers since at least 2020, when her version of the #crushonyouchallenge took TikTok and Twitter by storm. The video shows Miles signing in four color-coordinated makeup looks to Lil’ Kim’s 1990s bop “Crush on You” and was shared by the rapper after receiving more than a million views on Twitter alone.
“I usually have that spunk,” Miles told Billy Penn in 2020.
The interpreter and content creator grew up hard of hearing and has said her hearing is worsening over time. Her mom is deaf, but her family is mixed with hearing people.
Miles was valedictorian at Model Secondary School for the Deaf in Washington, D.C., before moving on to Bowie State University, a historically black school in Maryland, to study nursing. She played volleyball and was a cheerleader in high school, per Billy Penn, and is also a decorated athlete: Miles earned a silver medal at the 2021-2022 Deaflympics in Brazil as part of the 4x100 women’s track relay team.
Miles told CNBC’s Make It that her mom’s advice is what made her Super Bowl performances sparkle.
“[She] told me that she already loves me, and that if I am my Philly Black Deaf self, everything would be amazing,” Miles said.