Alicia Keys' non-lip-synced Super Bowl performance of the national anthem: Watch

R&B songstress delivers a strong rendition that's just flawed enough

By Chris Eggertsen Sunday, Feb 3, 2013 10:59 PM

Are you a fan of Music News?

Sign up to get the latest updates instantly.

First things first: Alicia Keys didn't appear to be lip-syncing.

As opposed to Beyonce's flawless (and, she now admits, pre-recorded) performance of the national anthem at Obama's inauguration last month, Keys' piano-accompanied rendition felt real and raw at the big game this afternoon, with a crack in her voice here or there to assure us she wasn't singing along to a track.

Of course, whether Keys had planned to sing live before the Bey-Bey controversy erupted is a fair question; after all, even Whitney "The Voice" Houston went with a pre-recorded version when she sang the Star-Spangled Banner at the 1991 game.

Watch the full performance below and let us know what you think in the comments.

Every Super Bowl 2013 commercial

Launch Gallery ►

Chris Eggertsen
Producer

A former contributor to sites including Bloody-Disgusting and AfterElton, Eggertsen enjoys rock music, rainy days and smelling the pages of old books. You should read all of his articles and follow him on Twitter because it's the right thing to do.