Did Beyoncé Lip-Sync at Inauguration?
Was Beyoncé Knowles really lip synching during her emotional rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at yesterday's Presidential Inauguration?
A rep for the United States Marine Band — which provides the music for the Inauguration — says that at the last minute the superstar indeed did decide to perform with a pre-recorded track.
Later on Wednesday afternoon, however, a spokesperson for the Division of Public Affairs for the U.S. Marine Corp backed away from the band's previous statement.
“All music is pre-recorded for the ceremony because there are so many eventualities and conditions that day,” Kristin DuBois, a rep for the band tells Page Six. “We performed, live, the band. But we received last-minute word that Beyoncé was going to use the pre-recorded vocal track. Those were the instructions we were given. We don’t know what the reason why (sic).”
At one point during her performance Beyoncé dramatically pulled her earpiece out, which is an odd move if she wasn’t singing live.
On Wednesday afternoon, Capt. Gregory A. Wolf, a Media Officer for the Division of Public Affairs of the U.S. Marine Corps, issued a press release saying, "The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) requested that the Marine Band accompany Beyonce Knowles-Carter in the performance of the Star-Spangled Banner at the 2013 Inaugural Ceremony. However, there was no opportunity for Ms. Knowles-Carter to rehearse with the Marine Band before the Inauguration so it was determined that a live performance by the band was ill-advised for such a high-profile event. Each piece of music scheduled for performance in the Inauguration is pre-recorded for use in case of freezing temperatures, equipment failure, or extenuating circumstances. Regarding Ms. Knowles-Carter's vocal performance, no one in the Marine Band is in a position to assess whether it was live or pre-recorded."
As for Kelly Clarkson's mesmerizing performance of "My Country 'Tis of Thee," a rep for the U.S. Marine Band tells TMZ that Clarkson did sing live.
omg! has reached out to a rep for Beyoncé but has yet to hear back.
If Beyoncé did lip sync she isn’t the first star to do so at an iconic time. It is not uncommon for a performer to sing to their own track at huge events. When Whitney Houston performed her rendition of the national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl her vocals were also pre-recorded.
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