With the controversy growing each day, and everyone from politicians to other entertainers weighing in, the inauguration performance threatened to overshadow her planned Super Bowl halftime show. So the 31-year-old, wearing a tight, cream mini-dress, addressed the issue as soon as she took to the podium Thursday afternoon.
She asked everyone to stand, and, with an image of the American flag behind her, performed a live rendition of the national anthem that mirrored the one on Inauguration Day. After, she said with a laugh: "Any questions?"
Despite her performance, there were.
When pressed about whether any sound was coming from her voice when she sang for the president, Beyoncé said she was singing along to the track and not mimicking (though it's unclear how audible her voice was). And when asked if she would be singing live at the Super Bowl, she said: "I will absolutely be singing live.
"This is what I was born to do."
She added later: "I always sing live. ... The inauguration was unfortunately a time where I could not rehearse with the orchestra, actually because I was rehearsing for the Super Bowl. So that was always the plan."
Beyoncé also got a chance to talk more in detail about the reason why she was in New Orleans — to perform at the halftime show. Calling it one of her career aspirations, she said when she arrived at the Superdome, she was so moved by the experience she took her shoes of and ran on the field, taking in the history at the famed venue.
"It really makes me emotional," she said. "When I am no longer here, it's what they're gonna show."
