Beyonce admits Inauguration Day pre-recording

Beyonce performs the National Anthem during the halftime show press conference ahead of the NFL's Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, Louisiana, January 31, 2013. The San Francisco 49ers will meet the Baltimore Ravens for the NFL championship February 3. [Photo/Agencies]

Beyonce answered critics of her Inauguration Day performance the best way she could — with another sterling performance of the national anthem.

The difference?

Related: Beyonce causes lip-synching stir

On Thursday, it was live: She admitted during her Super Bowl news conference that when she performed for US president Barack Obama and the nation, she decided to sing to a prerecorded track because she didn't have time to practice. Calling herself a self-proclaimed "perfectionist," she said wanted the day to go off without a hitch.

"I practice until my feet bleed and I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra," she said, adding that she was also emotional that day. "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."

It was the superstar's first public comments on what has become known as "Beyonce-gate".

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Her rendition of the anthem was critically praised, but was scrutinized less than a day later when a representative from the US Marine Band said Beyonce was lip-syncing — merely mouthing the words to a pre-recorded track — and the band's accompanying performance was taped. Shortly after, the group backed off its initial statement and said no one could tell if she was singing live or not.

With the controversy growing each day, and everyone from politicians to other entertainers weighing in, the inauguration performance threatened to overshadow her planned Super Bowl halftime show. So the 31-year-old, wearing a tight, cream mini-dress, addressed the issue as soon as she took to the podium Thursday afternoon.

She asked everyone to stand, and, with an image of the American flag behind her, performed a live rendition of the national anthem that mirrored the one on Inauguration Day. After, she said with a laugh: "Any questions?"

Despite her performance, there were.