Charlie Puth performed the U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” before Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The performance placed the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter in one of American television’s most prominent musical settings, ahead of the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots matchup.
The performance was part of the official Super Bowl LX pregame program, which also featured Brandi Carlile singing “America the Beautiful” and Coco Jones performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The NFL had announced the lineup before the game, confirming Puth’s role as the national anthem performer.
When Charlie Puth Sang the National Anthem
Puth performed the national anthem on February 8, 2026, immediately before Super Bowl LX began at Levi’s Stadium. The championship game marked the NFL’s 60th Super Bowl, adding historical significance to an already high-profile pregame ceremony.
The game featured the Seattle Seahawks against the New England Patriots, with the Seahawks ultimately winning Super Bowl LX. Puth’s performance therefore formed part of the opening ceremony surrounding one of the NFL’s biggest annual events rather than the halftime entertainment itself.
The NFL’s official video identifies the performance as a 2:34 presentation featuring Puth and deaf performing artist Fred Beam. The official NFL listing places the performance among its featured Super Bowl LX videos alongside the other major pregame musical performances.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Charles Otto Puth Jr. |
| Age | 34 (born December 2, 1991) |
| Birthplace | Rumson, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Singer, songwriter, record producer |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Education | Berklee College of Music, Music Production and Engineering |
| Years Active | 2011–present |
| Notable Works | “See You Again,” “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” “Attention,” Nine Track Mind, Voicenotes, Charlie |
| Awards & Honors | 4 Grammy nominations |
| Spouse | Brooke Sansone, married September 7, 2024 |
| Children | One son, Jude Crawford Puth |
| Social Media | @charlieputh on major social platforms |
How Charlie Puth Performed “The Star-Spangled Banner”
Puth performed while seated or positioned at a Rhodes electric piano, accompanying himself as he sang the national anthem. The Associated Press reported that he was supported by a choir and horn section during the live presentation at Levi’s Stadium.
The arrangement gave Puth’s performance a fuller musical setting than a completely solo rendition. His keyboard playing remained an important visual and musical element, reinforcing the connection between the performance and his established identity as a musician who writes, produces, sings, and plays instruments.
The Associated Press characterized the rendition as “big and soulful,” a description that captures its broad musical presentation without requiring assumptions about technical vocal choices. The report specifically noted Puth’s Rhodes electric piano, choir, and horn section as elements of the live performance.
The NFL’s official recording provides the strongest primary evidence for what viewers actually saw and heard. It confirms the performance itself and its duration, while contemporary reporting provides additional verified context about the musicians and staging.
Why the National Anthem Was Significant for Puth
The Super Bowl represented a major career moment for Charlie Puth, who had already established himself internationally through songwriting, production, recording, and touring. His best-known songs include “See You Again,” “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” “Attention,” and “Marvin Gaye.”
Puth’s career began gaining wider attention after he posted music online, including covers on YouTube. CBS News reported that his cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You” attracted the attention of Ellen DeGeneres in 2011, helping introduce him to a broader audience before his commercial recording career developed.
His debut studio album, Nine Track Mind, arrived in 2016. Since then, Puth has also built a reputation as a songwriter and producer for other performers, demonstrating a musical career extending beyond his own singles and albums.
Puth had also received four Grammy Award nominations by the time of Super Bowl LX. His Grammy recognition, international pop catalog, and reputation as a musician helped establish the credentials behind his selection for such a highly visible performance.
Why “The Star-Spangled Banner” Is Difficult to Sing
Puth himself had emphasized the musical challenge of performing the national anthem before appearing at Super Bowl LX. In a social media video discussed by CBS News, he explained that the song requires an unusually demanding vocal range compared with many conventional popular songs.
Puth described the anthem as “one of the most beautiful pieces of music” while also calling it “the hardest to sing.” His comments provide useful context because they show that he viewed the song as both musically beautiful and technically demanding.
According to CBS News, Puth explained that the melody extends from a low D to a high A. He contrasted that span with what he described as a more typical one-octave range in many songs, illustrating why the anthem presents a substantial challenge for singers.
The difficulty is not limited to vocal range. “The Star-Spangled Banner” contains substantial melodic movement and sustained phrases, while its familiar status means performers face considerable expectations from audiences. The Super Bowl setting adds another layer because the performance occurs before an enormous national and international television audience.
Puth’s Approach Compared With Other Super Bowl Singers
Super Bowl national anthem performances vary considerably in style, from restrained interpretations to highly dramatic arrangements. Recent examples include Jon Batiste in 2025, Reba McEntire in 2024, and Chris Stapleton in 2023, giving audiences very different interpretations of the same traditional song.
Puth entered that tradition with a musical identity rooted strongly in contemporary pop, songwriting, keyboard performance, and studio production. His Super Bowl presentation therefore differed naturally from performances associated with country, soul, gospel, or rock backgrounds, even though the underlying song remained unchanged.
The comparison with Whitney Houston is particularly relevant because Houston also performed the national anthem at a major American sporting event in 1991. CBS News noted that Puth was the second New Jersey native to perform the anthem at a Super Bowl-related comparison point involving Houston’s earlier iconic rendition.
Puth himself acknowledged Houston’s extraordinary benchmark. He told Rolling Stone that he would be inspired by what Houston had done but could not match it, calling her rendition, alongside Stapleton’s version, among the best performances of the anthem.
That comment is important because Puth did not present his Super Bowl appearance as an attempt to reproduce Houston’s performance. Instead, his comments indicated an awareness of the history surrounding the song and the different expectations attached to performing it on a major sports stage.
The Other Super Bowl LX Pregame Performances
Puth was not the only major artist involved in the Super Bowl LX pregame program. Brandi Carlile performed “America the Beautiful,” while Coco Jones performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before the Seahawks and Patriots took the field for the championship game.
The three performances created a broader musical opening for Super Bowl LX, with each artist handling a different traditional song. The NFL announced the lineup as part of its pregame entertainment plans, describing the performers as artists bringing distinct voices to the event.
The Associated Press reported that Carlile performed “America the Beautiful” with violin and cello accompaniment. Jones performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” with a string octet, providing distinct arrangements for the different pieces in the pregame ceremony.
American Sign Language was also incorporated into the pregame performances. Fred Beam performed the national anthem in ASL alongside Puth’s presentation, while Julian Ortiz signed “America the Beautiful,” according to the Associated Press and NFL announcements.
Who Selected Charlie Puth for the Super Bowl?
CBS News reported that the Super Bowl national anthem performer is selected through the NFL’s entertainment process involving Roc Nation, the entertainment company that partnered with the league on Super Bowl entertainment presentations beginning in 2019. Puth also discussed his own efforts to secure the opportunity.
According to Puth’s account to Rolling Stone, he wanted to perform at Super Bowl LX and submitted a recorded demo to Jay Brown, Roc Nation’s co-founder. Puth said he was later told that the recording reached Jay-Z, then NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, before the performance was approved.
Those details came from Puth himself rather than an NFL announcement describing every stage of the selection process. They are therefore best understood as his account of how the opportunity developed, rather than as a publicly documented description of every decision made by the organizations involved.
The NFL had formally announced the Super Bowl LX pregame lineup before the event. Its announcement confirmed Puth for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Carlile for “America the Beautiful,” and Jones for “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Charlie Puth’s Career Before the Anthem
Puth arrived at Super Bowl LX with a career built across several areas of contemporary music. He became widely recognized as a performer but has also received substantial attention for songwriting and production work, including credits connected with other commercially successful recordings.
His breakthrough period included the song “See You Again,” a collaboration with Wiz Khalifa created for the film Furious 7. Puth subsequently released songs including “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” “Attention,” and “How Long,” helping establish a recognizable pop catalog.
Puth has also spoken publicly about his early musical development. CBS News reported that his mother was a music teacher and that he recognized his musical abilities at a young age, experiences that contributed to the musician and songwriter he later became.
His background as a musician who works extensively with melody and harmony made the national anthem particularly relevant to his skill set. Nevertheless, his own comments about the song demonstrate that even an experienced musician regarded the Super Bowl performance as an unusually demanding challenge.
Where Charlie Puth’s National Anthem Performance Fits in Super Bowl History
The Super Bowl has regularly used nationally prominent performers for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” creating a long-running connection between major American sporting events and popular music. Previous performers have included Luther Vandross, Cher, Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, Reba McEntire, Chris Stapleton, and Jon Batiste.
Each rendition exists within a different musical and cultural moment, making direct comparisons difficult. Some performances have become especially famous because of vocal power, arrangement, historical circumstances, or the performer’s status, while others have attracted attention because they offered a quieter interpretation.
Puth’s performance belongs to the more recent generation of Super Bowl anthem appearances, following Batiste’s 2025 rendition. The sequence illustrates how the NFL continues to draw performers from different areas of American popular music rather than relying on one particular genre.
The performance also reflected the broader entertainment scale of Super Bowl LX. The pregame program included Puth, Carlile, and Jones, while Green Day participated in an opening ceremony celebrating six decades of Super Bowl history and Bad Bunny headlined the halftime show.
Where to Watch Charlie Puth’s National Anthem Performance
The most authoritative place to find the performance is the NFL’s official video archive, which lists a 2:34 video titled “Charlie Puth, Fred Beam perform the national anthem at Super Bowl LX.” The NFL’s own recording is preferable to unofficial uploads when verifying what occurred during the event.
The official recording is also useful for separating documented facts from commentary. Viewers can directly observe Puth’s keyboard performance, hear the vocal presentation, and see Fred Beam’s ASL interpretation without relying on descriptions that may exaggerate or mischaracterize particular musical details.
Contemporary coverage from the Associated Press provides additional reporting about the live staging, including Puth’s Rhodes electric piano, choir, and horn section. CBS News separately documented Puth’s comments about the anthem’s vocal demands and his background before the performance.
Frequently Asked Questions About Charlie Puth’s National Anthem
When did Charlie Puth sing the national anthem?
Charlie Puth sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” on February 8, 2026, before Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The performance took place as part of the official pregame entertainment before the Seattle Seahawks faced the New England Patriots.
What song did Charlie Puth perform?
Puth performed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the national anthem of the United States. His performance was part of the Super Bowl LX pregame program, alongside Brandi Carlile’s “America the Beautiful” and Coco Jones’ “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Did Charlie Puth play an instrument?
Yes. Puth performed while playing a Rhodes electric piano, according to the Associated Press. The report also stated that he was accompanied by a choir and horn section during the live performance at Levi’s Stadium.
How long was Charlie Puth’s national anthem performance?
The NFL’s official video listing gives the performance a runtime of 2 minutes and 34 seconds. That duration refers to the official NFL video presentation featuring Puth and Fred Beam.
Who performed the national anthem in ASL?
Deaf performing artist Fred Beam performed the national anthem in American Sign Language alongside Puth’s vocal performance. The NFL and Associated Press both identified Beam as part of the Super Bowl LX pregame presentation.
What did Charlie Puth say about singing the anthem?
Before the Super Bowl, Puth described the national anthem as “one of the most beautiful pieces of music” while also calling it “the hardest to sing.” He specifically discussed the song’s demanding vocal range in a social media video referenced by CBS News.
Final Takeaway
Charlie Puth’s Super Bowl LX national anthem performance was a significant live appearance for a musician already established through pop music, songwriting, and production. On February 8, 2026, he performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Levi’s Stadium with keyboard accompaniment and a larger musical ensemble.
The performance is notable not because it can be reduced to a single vocal statistic or comparison, but because it brought Puth’s musicianship to one of the most visible stages in American entertainment. His own comments also showed that he understood the anthem’s demanding range and its extraordinary performance history.
For readers looking for an authoritative record of what happened, the NFL’s official performance video provides the clearest primary source, while reporting from the Associated Press and CBS News supplies independently reported context about Puth, the performance, and the Super Bowl LX pregame program.FAQs About Charlie Puth’s National Anthem
When did Charlie Puth perform the national anthem?
Charlie Puth performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” on February 8, 2026, before Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots played in the championship game.
How did Charlie Puth perform the national anthem?
Puth sang the anthem while playing a Rhodes electric piano. According to the Associated Press, his performance also featured support from a choir and horn section, creating a fuller musical arrangement.
How long was Charlie Puth’s national anthem performance?
The NFL’s official video of the performance runs 2 minutes and 34 seconds. The recording features Puth performing vocally and Fred Beam providing the national anthem in American Sign Language.
Why did Charlie Puth say the national anthem was difficult?
Puth discussed the song’s demanding vocal range before the Super Bowl. He described “The Star-Spangled Banner” as “the hardest to sing” while also praising it as one of the most beautiful pieces of music.
Who performed the national anthem in American Sign Language?
Fred Beam, a deaf performing artist, performed the national anthem in American Sign Language alongside Puth’s vocal rendition. His participation was part of the official Super Bowl LX pregame presentation.
