Charlie Puth Responds to Backlash Over Singing National Anthem at Super Bowl: ‘It’ll Be One of My Best Vocal Performances’

Charlie Puth has directly addressed online skepticism surrounding his selection to perform the national anthem at Super Bowl LX. The NFL's confirmed pre-game lineup also includes Coco Jones singing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and Brandi Carlile performing "America the Beautiful." Puth, a pop singer-songwriter celebrated for hits like "Attention" and his meticulous studio craft, is preparing for one of the most high-pressure live assignments in show business.

Following the announcement, commentary on social media platform X questioned the choice, with one user drawing an unfavorable comparison to Whitney Houston's legendary 1991 Super Bowl rendition. Puth engaged with the critique head-on, quote-tweeting the post with a detailed response. "I’ll never claim to be as good of a singer as Whitney Houston ever was," he wrote. "But I assure you we’re putting a really special arrangement together- in D major. It’ll be one of my best vocal performances." His specific reference to the musical key is a nod to technical preparation, as D major is a common but challenging key for the anthem that allows for a powerful, resonant climax, a detail highlighting his studious approach.

This public scrutiny is a familiar ritual for Super Bowl performers. Just weeks prior, the league's reveal of Bad Bunny as the Halftime Show headliner sparked significant political backlash. Former President Donald Trump called the selection "absolutely ridiculous," and House Speaker Mike Johnson also voiced criticism. The Puerto Rican global phenomenon, whose 2022 album 'Un Verano Sin Ti' became the first all-Spanish LP nominated for Grammy Album of the Year, embodies the NFL's strategic drive to attract younger, diverse, and international viewers—a move that consistently generates debate.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has already defended the choice of Bad Bunny, acknowledging controversy as an inherent part of the process. "It’s carefully thought through," Goodell stated. "I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism... We’re confident it’s going to be a great show." This stance underscores a modern media calculus where cultural relevance and massive engagement are often prioritized over universal approval. As media strategist Dr. Lena Shaw observes, "The league is engineering global cultural events, not just concerts. The pre-show discourse is a feature, not a bug; it amplifies reach and solidifies the Super Bowl's place in the national conversation."

The pattern of announcement, critique, and institutional response has become a staple of the Super Bowl's extended spectacle. For artists like Charlie Puth, the final verdict comes during the performance itself, under the intense glare of over a hundred million viewers. This single live moment carries the weight to either validate the selection or fuel further debate, permanently adding another chapter to the event's long and often contentious history of iconic—and sometimes infamous—live music.