Three days before her much-anticipated performance during Super
Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, Beyonce announced that she will be singing live at
the halftime show during a press conference held on Thursday afternoon (Jan.
31).
Wearing a short, backless white dress at the event, Beyonce took
the stage and immediately asked those in attendance to stand, as she began
singing an a cappella version of the Star-Spangled Banner. Last week, Beyonce
performed (and infamously lip-synched) the song at the inauguration of
President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C.; on Thursday, in her first media
appearance since the Jan. 21 ceremony, Beyonce delivered a soaring rendition of
the nation's anthem, and ended with the cheeky question, "Any questions?"
Minutes later, Beyonce was asked whether or not she was planning
to sing live at the Super Bowl, and declared, "I will absolutely be
singing live. I am well-rehearsed. I will absolutely be singing live, and this
is what I was born to do."
When asked about the lip-sync controversy during the
inauguration, Beyonce explained, "I am a perfectionist, and one thing
about me, I practice until my feet bleed. And I did not have time to rehearse
with the orchestra… Due to the weather, due to the delay, due to no proper
sound-check, I did not feel comfortable taking a risk."
The superstar called the act of using a backing track "very
common within the music industry," and said that she was "very proud
of my performance" at the inauguration. She later added that rehearsals
for the Super Bowl had made the inauguration performance overly taxing.
Beyonce Releases Super Bowl Rehearsal Footage
Aside from revealing her plans to sing live, Beyonce kept
information about the upcoming performance sparse. Destiny's Child is assumed
to be reuniting during the halftime extravaganza -- earlier this month, the
trio released a new single, "Nuclear," ahead of their new compilation
album, "Love Songs." However, when Beyonce was asked about a DC
reunion at the Superdome in New Orleans, the singer smiled and said, "I
can't really give you any details. I'm sorry."
Beyonce did hint at an important announcement immediately
following the halftime show, which will be presented by Pepsi. The singer was
asked when she will return to the road for a proper tour, answering, "I
would say 'soon.' And I may have an announcement after the performance, and the
fans should just stay tuned to see." Could this be the announcement of a
new album to follow 2011's "4"? After all, Beyonce has confirmed that
she is working on a new LP with collaborators like The-Dream, Justin
Timberlake, Timbaland and Pharrell Williams.
Beyonce also expressed excitement over the opportunity to perform
at the Super Bowl halftime show at the age of 31, and described the difficult
process of "trying to condense a career into 12 minutes." When asked
what she plans to do when the arduous Super Bowl experience is finally over,
Beyonce replied, "I'm gonna enjoy my daughter."
During the press conference, Jennifer Hudson was also confirmed
to be performing "America The Beautiful" before the match-up between
the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. The Oscar-winning performer
will be joined by the Sandy Hook Elementary Choir from Newtown, Conn.
Beyonce's performance follows Madonna's record-smashing halftime
show in 2012, in which the pop superstar was joined by Nicki Minaj, M.I.A.,
LMFAO and Cee-Lo Green. In 2004, Beyonce performed the national anthem at the
Super Bowl.
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