Beyonce to sing live at Super Bowl

NEW ORLEANS: Beyonce vowed Thursday to sing live at her Super Bowl half-time show, confirming she sang along to a pre-recorded recording of the US national anthem at President Barack Obama's inauguration.

The chart-topping pop diva kicked off a press conference in New Orleans ahead of Sunday's American football event by singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" a cappella after asking assembled reporters: "Would you guys mind standing?"

Fielding questions afterwards, she declared: "I am absolutely going to sing live (on Sunday). I am well-rehearsed and absolutely singing live. This was what I was born to do."

She also cleared the air about her January 21 performance at Obama's second-term inauguration in Washington that prompted allegations that she had lip-synched the words to the national anthem.

"I always sing live," Beyonce said, but "this inauguration was unfortunately a time where I could not rehearse with the orchestra (the US Marine Band) because I was practicing for the Super Bowl -- that was always the plan.

"Typically they have you sing a pre-recorded track because anything could go wrong," she added, referring to organizers of the inaugural ceremony. "I did sing along with the pre-recorded track."

Sunday's American football championship between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49s is expected to draw nearly 180 million viewers, but the half-time typically pulls even higher ratings.

Last week, CNN quoted an anonymous inaugural official as saying that Beyonce "did not sing live" and that she had arrived in Washington too late to properly rehearse with the Marine Band.