Charlie Puth has assured fans that his rendition of America's National Anthem at the 2026 Super Bowl will be one of his "best vocal performances".
Over the weekend, it was announced that the See You Again hitmaker would be performing the notoriously vocally challenging anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner, before the Super Bowl LX championship game on 8 February 2026.
Critics took to social media to vent their disappointment over his booking, with one commenter writing on X, "Man we've fallen from when Whitney Houston sang at the Super Bowl. Charlie Puth? He's not gonna give us vocals I'm afraid."
Puth, 34, reposted the message and assured fans that he's working on a "special arrangement" to ensure he delivers his best vocals.
"I'll never claim to be as good of a singer as Whitney Houston ever was," he began. "But I assure you we're putting a really special arrangement together- in D major. It'll be one of my best vocal performances."
Puth will take to the field at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California to sing the anthem, following in the footsteps of recent performers such as Reba McEntire, Jon Batiste, Lady Gaga, Demi Lovato and Alicia Keys. Houston gave her rendition in 1991.
Elsewhere in the pre-game entertainment, Brandi Carlile will sing America the Beautiful and Coco Jones will perform Lift Every Voice and Sing.
During the game, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny will headline the Halftime Show, a booking that also sparked backlash when it was announced in September.
