Super Bowl: Charlie Puth’s National Anthem Deserves All the Attention

The NFL declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.

Charlie Puth sang the national anthem before the 2026 Super Bowl on February 8th at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Just before the Seahawks and Patriots faced off, singer Charlie Puth, wearing a brown leather jacket, played his own version of the national anthem on the piano. Cameras captured players from both teams listening as the 34-year-old performed.

This year’s game was a special occasion for Puth, and 2026 promises to be even more memorable. He and his wife, Brooke Sansone, who announced they are expecting a baby in October, are preparing to welcome their first child.

Coco Jones sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as part of the opening ceremonies, and Brandi Carlile performed “America the Beautiful.”

Charlie Puth, a Grammy nominee who received praise from artists like Taylor Swift (who mentioned him on her album Tortured Poets), was met with some surprise when announced as the Super Bowl national anthem performer. Some sports fans questioned the choice, with one person commenting online in December that Puth wouldn’t deliver a performance on par with iconic singers like Whitney Houston, who famously sang at the Super Bowl.

Puth wasn’t bothered by the criticism and responded directly to the commenter. He admitted he’ll never reach Whitney Houston’s vocal level, but promised a unique and impressive arrangement – in the key of D major – and said it would be one of his strongest vocal performances yet.

It was a difficult accomplishment, especially since he’d previously expressed concerns, in a November 2025 statement, about successfully meeting all the requirements.

He mentioned in a video that one of the most beautiful songs is also incredibly challenging to perform. He specifically pointed out that ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ requires a very wide vocal range.

According to Puth, many challenging songs only cover an octave – the distance from a low D to a high D. However, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ has a much wider range, starting on a low D and extending five notes higher, all the way up to a high A.

Charlie Puth isn’t the only big artist performing at the Super Bowl. Bad Bunny will also be putting on a halftime show, continuing a tradition of incredible performances by artists like Kendrick Lamar, Usher, Rihanna, and The Weeknd.

Keep reading to see all the celebrities who aren’t fumbling their chance to see the game in person.

Jay-Z took his daughters, aged 14 and 8, to the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, California, in 2026. Beyoncé was also there with them.

The rapper took photos before the Seahawks and Patriots played their big game.

The longtime Patriots fan attended the game to introduce his fav NFL team before kickoff.

The Marvel actor was there to officially welcome the Seattle Seahawks and made it a special day by bringing his son along.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who is engaged to Taylor Swift, didn’t reach the championship game this year, but he was still there to cheer on his team from the sidelines.