Charlie Puth wanted to honor Whitney Houston with the national anthem at the Super Bowl “I wrote the arrangement in a very specific way”confided the singer about his version of “Star-Spangled Banner”.
After performing the national anthem at the 2026 Super Bowl, Charlie Puth revealed that his particular arrangement was a tribute to Whitney Houston. The hitmaker put a choral twist on “Star-Spangled Banner,” featuring the song on a Rhodes keyboard, backed by a choir and orchestra.
“ Thank you all for your kind words ,” Puth wrote on X after the event. “ It was an honor to sing the national anthem. I wrote the arrangement in a very specific way to honor Whitney Houston – I hope that came through. »
He added: “ Thank you to the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Sainted Choir, Color of Noize Orchestra, Steve Hackman and Kenny G for joining me on stage. And thanks to Adam Blackstone for writing such a beautiful part for the chorus. I love music so much. »
A long-held dream
Singing the national anthem was a longtime dream of Puth. “ Actually, I've always wanted to do this “, revealed Puth during the interview WECB earlier this year. “ I just want to show people that I can do it “, he added. “ I feel like sometimes people don't really see me as a singer in my own right… There will be pressure the week leading up to the event and the hour just before. But once I get there, I'll feel so comfortable and it'll sound so good. »
Earlier this week, Puth joined Bad Bunny and other Super Bowl LX performers for Apple Music's halftime show press conference. “ The arrangement is everything to me. I'm always reverse engineering how I hear my own music in my head, and then it's just a matter of dissecting it and making it into a workable product ” Puth told Apple Music's Zane Lowe.
When asked what he hopes fans take away from his performance of the national anthem, the singer replied: “ I want them to feel inspired. I want everyone to know that music is an incredible thing and can change the lives of so many people. »
