Singer Beyonce Knowles stood and delivered at a press conference held ahead of her Super Bowl performance on Sunday. Any lingering doubts that remained after she admittedly "lip synced" at Barack Obama's inauguration were quashed as she greeted gathered journalists with a live rendition of the national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner. "Any questions?" she giggled after her unconventional beginning to proceedings.
There were many, and Beyonce used the press conference to comment publically for the first time on her inauguration performance, and to confirm that her NFL half-time extravaganza will be 100% pure powerhouse vocals. "I will absolutely be singing live," she said. "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. " With regard to her set before Barack and Michelle Obama, Beyonce said she is a "perfectionist" and wanted her performance for her president to be a memorable one. She called the day "emotional" and explained why she didn't sing live. "I practiced until my feet bleed and I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra," she said. "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. "As Beyonce faced her critics, there was a calming presence backstage – her mother, Tina. The pair posed for a picture after the younger of the two Knowles women had done her job for the day. The two enjoy a close relationship and often collaborate for their fashion line, House of Dereon. Beyonce's sister Solange completes the close-knit set. Family is something that is very much on the superstar's mind since she gave birth to Blue Ivy, her daughter with Jay-Z, a year ago. Solange recently revealed to an American magazine that "Blue comes over, I babysit" adding that her own son, Julez, is often looked after by his famous aunty in return. "Beyonce takes Julez sometimes for the weekend" Solange added. "Blue and Julez are going to grow up more like sister and brother than cousins."
