Beyonce Knowles reportedly lip-synced the American national anthem at Barack Obama's inauguration on Monday (21.01.13).
The 'Halo' hitmaker - dressed in a demure black dress with emerald earrings - sang 'The Star Spangled Banner' in Washington DC immediately following the president's swearing-in and speech but the audio is said to have been pre-recorded amid reports she only had one night to rehearse with the band before the performance.
A spokesperson for the Marine Corps Band told the The Times newspaper in London: "We don't know why Beyoncé decided to use pre-recorded music. All music [for inaugural ceremonies] is pre-recorded as a matter of course, and that's something we've done for years and years. The Marine Band did perform live throughout the ceremony but we received last-minute word that Beyoncé wanted to use the recording."
The representative also told gossip website TMZ.com: "We all know Beyonce can sing ... We don't know why she chose to use the pre-recorded track."
A source told Buzzfeed before the inauguration that the singer only had one night to rehearse with the band as she is currently preparing for her high profile show at the Super Bowl in New Orleans on February 3, during which she will be joined by her Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.
The band's director Colonel Michael J. Colburn said: "As soon as we get information from the Presidential Inaugural Committee [about] who the guest artists are going to be, we make contact with them, find out how we can prepare arrangements that will really kind of flatter their voices -- of course in the right key.
"We had Kelly [Clarkson] in over the weekend to rehearse and record. Beyonce, she's getting ready for the Super Bowl, so we didn't have a chance to do anything with her until last night (20.01.13).
"It's a very, very tight window of opportunity."
Other performers at the event including newly-engaged 'Stronger' singer Kelly sang live.
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Gamarala says:
Jan 23, 2013 at 12:00 amWhat the big deal here, if she mimed or sang? It was her voice and she was not lip-syncing to someone else voice. International stars do this often, if they do not have the time to rehearse with the band before hand, which was the case here. Its not like she cannot sing, its a matter of urgency. In any case, if you watched her performance the day before one would never have guessed whether she was lip syncing or not.