Pop star previously promised his arrangement would be ‘one of my best vocal performances’

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Pop star previously promised his arrangement would be ‘one of my best vocal performances’

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Charlie Puth’s rendition of the national anthem at the 2026 Super Bowl has left viewers speechless, despite earlier skepticism.

The 34-year-old pop star’s pitch-perfect performance to open Sunday’s NFL championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots came months after he faced a wave of criticism from people on social media, who felt he lacked the necessary vocal talent.

“I’ll never claim to be as good of a singer as Whitney Houston ever was. But I assure you we’re putting a really special arrangement together- in D major,” Puth wrote in December on X in response to one critic.

Taking the stage just before kickoff, he was accompanied by a choir and an orchestra to deliver a jazzy twist on the “Star Spangled Banner.”

“Charlie Puth jazzing this whole anthem up! Nice,” one person said on X.

“Didn’t know what to expect, but I loved how beautifully Charlie Puth sang the national anthem,” a second commented, with a third sharing similar sentiments: “Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised but I was surprised. Charlie Puth’s national anthem was really good.”

“Oh charlie puth i wasn’t aware of your skills… this arrangement is everything,” a fourth praised, while another added: “Hallelujah, I got chills, brother Charlie Puth.”

“Charlie Puth nailed that,” one insisted. “Beautiful rendition of the Anthem,” another applauded, while someone else agreed that his singing was “flawless.”

Others wondered if Puth was lip-syncing to a pre-recorded track. “Did Charlie Puth just lip sync the national anthem?” one person asked.

What many viewers may not realize is that, due to stadium acoustics, broadcast delays and the technical demands of a globally televised event, performers often blend live vocals with backing tracks or prerecorded elements to ensure consistent sound both in the venue and on air. Even the late Houston’s unforgettable 1991 Super Bowl national anthem performance was later confirmed to have used a prerecorded track.

Speaking Thursday at Apple Music’s Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Press Conference, Puth shared how he planned to make the song his own.

“The arrangement is everything for me,” the “Attention” singer said. “I always reverse engineer how I hear my own music in my own head.”

He added that he hoped his performance made audiences “feel inspired.” “I want everybody to know that music is such an amazing thing and can change so many people’s lives,” he said. “Everybody loves music. I’ve never met anybody who doesn’t love music. I just think it can color every aspect of your day so vividly.”

Puth, a four-time Grammy-nominated artist, was added to the Super Bowl music lineup in December, along with Brandi Carlile and Coco Jones, who performed “America the Beautiful” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” respectively.

Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny will take the field midway through the game to deliver what is expected to be a lively and memorable halftime show.

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