Jordin Sparks Discusses Being in This Year's Untraditional Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (Exclusive)

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has affected numerous aspects of society, the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will still take place in order to give viewers a little dose of holiday joy. American Idol winner Jordin Sparks is one of the many performers who will take part in this year's festivities, which will be a tad different because of the pandemic. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Sparks discussed her upcoming appearance in the parade and even described exactly what fans could expect for her own "African-inspired" float courtesy of Kalahari Resorts.

Unlike Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades of years past, the 2020 event will be slightly different because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's parade will air as a nationwide, television-only event. In order to avoid crowds gathering in Manhattan, the parade will forego its traditional procession. Instead, the event will feature several theatrical and musical performances, such as one from Sparks. According to the singer, she will be performing on a float courtesy of Kalahari Resorts and will even perform a new song from her upcoming holiday album, Cider & Hennessy, which will be released on Nov. 27.

"It's really beautiful. It's got like a nice little elephant on it, and it's African inspired," Sparks said, describing the float. "It's really awesome, so I'll be singing an original Christmas song from my album that drops the next day. So I'm really, really stoked for what's to come in the next few weeks." Given that the parade is still taking place amidst the unprecedented health crisis, the "Homebody" singer originally thought that the event would be canceled. But, even though the parade will be a little different this year, Sparks shared that fans can still expect the event to kick off the holiday season in pure, joyful style.

"I honestly thought that it was going to be canceled, so when they called and asked me about it, I was like, 'Yes, I would love to be a part of it,'" Sparks continued to tell PopCulture.com, while discussing her partnership with Kalahari Resorts, which opened up the largest indoor waterpark location in Texas in mid-November. "It's such a long-standing tradition. And I really think that it'll be something really nice for people to remember during this year. It's going to be a bright spot during the year. For those two hours that the parade goes on, people will be able to watch and just enjoy, enjoy their family and enjoy being with each other, so... If they get to be with each other, obviously. But I also think it helps kind of that sense of normalcy for the holiday season. That kind of kicks off Christmas. That kicks off everything. So I'm very happy for Christmas to be coming, and we can bring that joy back into the world because we all need it."

Viewers can tune in to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 26 at 9 a.m. ET. Sparks' upcoming Christmas album, Cider & Hennessy, will be released the following day to really kick off the holiday season.