UPDATE: Okay, look. When we first got news that Bey had not been singing the National Anthem live at the inauguration (see below), she was briefly (yes, briefly) dead to us. But it is Beyoncé, and we figured she must have had a good reason for it. So, after playing "Single Ladies" and "Countdown" repeatedly, we dried our tears and moved on.
But, today, Knowles went and brushed her shoulders off, stepped up to the mic, and belted out a fully a cappella version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" in front of a pre-Superbowl media gathering. In one fell swoop, she not only proved she has the pipes, but also helped heal our once-broken hearts. Moreover, she acknowledged that, yes, her fans would rather hear her voice raw and live than perfect and prerecorded (even if she is a perfectionist) and promised that her halftime performance would be 100 percent her. So, thanks, Bey. We're capable of trust and love once again. (Vulture)
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Originally published January 22, 2013:
Word just hit that Lady Bey was indeed lip-synching her now infamous rendition of the national anthem. Beyoncé apparently made the last-minute call to use the studio version of the ballad shortly before taking the stage, and the band followed suit with the pre-recorded backup tunes. While we totally get the stresses that can come with serenading the Prez (and hundreds of thousands of onlookers), we have to say we're a bit bummed.
But let's be real here: What can't Beyoncé do? It's not even a full month into the new year and she's landed herself a cover slot on GQ's "100 Sexiest Women of The 21st Century" issue, she's performing at the Super Bowl in a few weeks, her documentary premieres a week after that, and sometime this year she'll drop a new album (eek!). Lip-synched or not, singing "Star-Spangled Banner" at the Presidential Inauguration was one of her biggest milestones yet.
Video: Via YouTube