Beyoncé Sings National Anthem A Cappella at Press Conference

By Aaron Parsley

01/31/2013 at 03:45 PM EST

"Any questions?"

That's what Beyoncé had to say to reporters gathered in New Orleans for her Super Bowl halftime show press conference after she took the stage, asked them to stand and belted out a flawless, live rendition of the National Anthem on Thursday.

The singer – who has remained silent since criticism and accusations of lip-synching erupted following her performance of the same song at President Barack Obama's inauguration – then told the world why she decided to sing along to a pre-recorded track on Jan. 21.

"I am a perfectionist," she said. "One thing about me, I practice until my feet bleed. I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra. It was a live television show. It was a very important emotional show for me, one of my proudest moments."



"Due to the weather, due to the delay, due to no proper sound check," she continued. "I did not feel comfortable taking a risk. It was about the President, the Inauguration. I wanted to make him and my country proud, so I decided to sing along to my pre-recorded track, which is very common in the music industry."

"I'm very proud of my performance," she added, as the gathered reporters applauded.

Although she coyly dodged questions about a possible Destiny's Child reunion during the Super Bowl halftime show (something her band mate Michelle Williams previously denied), she did clear up another lingering question about Sunday's big show.

"I will absolutely be singing live," she said. "This is what I was born to do."

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