Originally appeared on E! Online.
It seems like Taylor Swift’s declaration has come true.
In fact, the NFL agrees that Charlie Puth is a big enough artist to open up the 2026 Super Bowl, as they announced Nov. 30 he will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the event.
Following the announcement, though, one unenthused critic saw the selection of the “We Don’t Talk Anymore” singer as a sign that society has “fallen from when Whitney Houston sang” the national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl, writing on X (formerly Twitter) Dec. 1, “He’s not gonna give us vocals I’m afraid.”
Despite the dig, Puth saw the moment as an opportunity to calm fans’ concerns about his duty to kick off the big game in February.
“I’ll never claim to be as good of a singer as Whitney Houston ever was,” he responded on X. “But I assure you we’re putting a really special arrangement together—in D major.”
The 33-year-old even added, “It’ll be one of my best vocal performances.”
While Puth — whose rendition of the national anthem will be in addition to Brandi Carlile and Coco Jones’ performances of “America the Beautiful” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” respectively — is confident in his ability to pull it off, he’s aware of the enormity of the task at hand. In fact, he had some fun explaining how difficult a song “The Star-Spangled Banner” is.
READ Why Taylor Swift Has Never Headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show
“Did you know that one of the most beautiful pieces of music also happens to be the hardest to sing?” he explained in a Nov. 30 Instagram video, as if he were coaching a football team. “Ah, yes, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ is a piece of music that has extreme vocal range.”
“Most hard-to-sing songs span just one octave range, like a low D to a high D,” Puth continued. “But ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ it goes from a low D to a high D, plus five more notes, all the way up to a very high A.”
But while critics may abound, the Grammy nominee has the full support of the NFL, who announced in September that Bad Bunny will perform the halftime show.
“Super Bowl Sunday is the world’s biggest entertainment stage, and we’re proud to spotlight artists who embody the very best of music and culture,” the NFL’s senior vice president of global event production Jon Barker shared in the Nov. 30 press release. “Beyond the game itself, the Super Bowl is a global celebration. These artists bring a distinct voice to the moment, helping set the tone for a day that will captivate fans around the world.”
Bad Bunny will headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show on Feb. 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the NFL said.
