After the inauguration singing fiasco and leading into her highly-anticipated Super Bowl Halftime Show performance Sunday, superstar singer Beyoncé reminded the press covering the “Big Game” why her multi-platinum selling, award-winning voice is among the most respected in the music world.
Amid criticism and heckling she’s faced since her “lip-synching” inauguration performance last week, Beyoncé stunned reporters and press who were on-hand Thursday covering Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans by belting out a live, soulful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, the nation’s national anthem.
The 16-time Grammy Award-winning megastar came under fire for the last few weeks ever since she was accused of lip-synching during President Obama’s Jan. 19 inauguration ceremony.
Her live and unrecorded performance of the anthem during the press conference in New Orleans Thursday drew applause from the press and others in attendance.
Beyoncé admitted to the press after singing the national anthem that she indeed had lip-synched during the inauguration ceremony. Her explanation was that she didn’t have time to rehearse the national anthem during the nationally televised ceremony.
"I am a perfectionist, and one thing about me, I practice until my feet bleed," she said. "I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra. It was a live television show and a very, very important emotional show for me. One of my proudest moments.
"Due to the weather, due to the delay, due to no proper sound check, I did not feel comfortable taking a risk. It was about the president and the inauguration, and I wanted to make him and my country proud. So I decided to sing along with my pre-recorded track, which is very common in the music industry, and I'm very proud of my performance."
Despite opting to sing pre-recorded in Washington during the event, Beyoncé, who has been rehearsing non-stop this week, told the press that she would “absolutely be singing live” at the New Orleans Superdome in New Orleans, La., where the Super Bowl will emanate from this year on Sunday.
And regarding all the critics who bashed her lip-synching during Inauguration Day, she merely said, “I love haters.”