Beyoncé Boldly Sings ‘Star Spangled Banner,’ Draws A Line Under Lip-Sync Gate

NEW ORLEANS — Beyoncé completely disarmed journalists at a Super Bowl press conference today which was streamed live by multiple outlets.

Striding to the podium in heels, short white dress and side-swept hair, the singer kicked off the packed press meet unusually. After greeting the room with a “Hello, how is everyone?,” she gently asked, “Would you guys mind standing?”

The 31-year-old then launched into the national anthem live — and a capella.

Her first words after the impressive performance?

“Thank you guys so much. Any questions?”

There certainly were. Getting the “Lip-Sync” elephant in the room out of the way almost immediately, the singer was asked if she had sung live at President Obama’s inauguration last week, USA Today reports.

Beyoncé replied, “Well, I am a perfectionist,” explaining that she had used a backing track because she wasn’t able to rehearse with the Marine Corps Band [as she prepping for the Super Bowl], and because of the emotion and importance of the occasion.

Elaborating, she said:

“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,” the Grammy award winning artist added.

At the conference, which was held at New Orleans’ Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the singer was asked if she would be singing live at the Super Bowl this Sunday.

The assured reply: “I will absolutely be singing live. I am well rehearsed and I will absolutely be singing live,” she said. “This is what I was born to do. What I’m born for.”

Insisting that her decision to sing live at the Super Bowl wasn’t a reaction to the lip-sync furor, the “Crazy in Love” singer said with a smile “I always sing live.”

Revealing that her mother’s family were originally from Louisiana, Beyoncé said of the Mercedes-Benz superdome where she will take to the stage in three days:

“I’m nervous. When I was driving up, I got chills looking at the superdome. There’s so much history there.”

Revealing nothing about whether the much rumored Destiny’s Child reunion would happen, Beyoncé would only say:

“I can’t give too much away but every little second matters. I have so many songs and trying to condense my career into seven minutes is not easy because all of my songs are like my children.”

Still preparing for what will certainly be one the biggest shows of her 16 year career, audiences on Sunday are expected to reach over 100 million.

For perspective, last year, Madonna’s halftime performance was the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show ever, with 114 million viewers, making it the most-watched US television event in history, the Daily Mail noted.

For days, media outlets and internet chatter has been ablaze with speculation about whether the Houston native would address the lip-sync debacle.

Now she has, and with some style. Time to move on America.

Super Bowl XLVII and Beyoncé touch down in New Orleans on February 3.