Beyonce admits to lip-synching
Beyonce has admitted to making use of a pre-recorded track at Barack Obama’s inauguration, saying that she had not had time to rehearse for the performance.
The Halo hitmaker admitted she was so busy preparing for her 3 February Super Bowl half-time performance that she did not allow herself adequate time to rehearse for her rendition of The Star Spangled Banner on 21 January.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday (31 January), which she opened by singing the national anthem for assembled journalists, Beyonce said: "I am a perfectionist, I will practise until my feet bleed but I didn’t get a chance.
"The inauguration was about the president I wanted to make him and the country proud. I decided to sing along with my pre-recorded track which is something that is common in the music industry. I always sing live, the inauguration was unfortunately a time when I didn’t have time to rehearse with the the orchestra because I was rehearsing for the Super Bowl. I’m very proud of my performance."
She also revealed that she had not had time to perform a sound check, and along with the icy weather in Washington on the day, Beyonce revealed that she "did not feel comfortable taking a risk.
"It was about the president and the inauguration and I wanted to make him and our country proud so I decided to sing along with my prerecorded track."
Watch Beyonce perform for the press conference:
However, Beyonce insists that she will not be lip-synching during her Super Bowl performance, saying: "I will absolutely be singing live, I am well rehearsed. This is what I am born for.
"I’ve had a 16-year career and everything I’ve done has prepared me for this, I’m ready. It is something we’ve been preparing for for about four or five months but I am nervous."
There has been furious speculation that Beyonce will be joined on stage during the show by her Destiny’s Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams – but the star refused to spill the beans.
She said:"I can’t give away any details but I will say there is nothing like our connection and the sisterhood we have, it’s always a pleasure to be around them personally and professionally."
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