Charlie Puth's Super Bowl National Anthem: A Tribute to Whitney Houston
In a stirring performance, Charlie Puth paid tribute to the late Whitney Houston during the 2026 Super Bowl by putting his own unique spin on "The Star-Spangled Banner". The singer's rendition featured an impressive choral arrangement, accompanied by a Rhodes keyboard, choir, and orchestra.
Expressing gratitude to fans for their kind words after the event, Puth took to social media to share that his particular take on the national anthem was a deliberate homage to Houston. "I wrote the arrangement in a very specific way... I hope that was heard," he penned. The singer also extended heartfelt thanks to various musicians who joined him on stage, including the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Kenny G, and Steve Hackman.
Performing the national anthem has been a long-held dream for Puth, who hopes to showcase his vocal capabilities as a standalone artist. Despite some pre-performance jitters, the singer is confident that his rendition will be well-received by fans. "I feel like people don’t really think of me as a standalone vocalist at times... It’ll be pressure the week leading up to it and the hour leading up to it."
When asked about his creative process, Puth revealed that he often finds himself 'reverse engineering' his own music in his head before bringing it to life. Ultimately, his goal was to inspire fans with a powerful performance that would leave them feeling uplifted by the transformative power of music.
In his conversation with Apple Music's Zane Lowe earlier this week, Puth spoke about the importance of using his platform to spread inspiration and appreciation for music. "I want everybody to know that music is such an amazing thing and can change so many people’s lives," he said.
In a stirring performance, Charlie Puth paid tribute to the late Whitney Houston during the 2026 Super Bowl by putting his own unique spin on "The Star-Spangled Banner". The singer's rendition featured an impressive choral arrangement, accompanied by a Rhodes keyboard, choir, and orchestra.
Expressing gratitude to fans for their kind words after the event, Puth took to social media to share that his particular take on the national anthem was a deliberate homage to Houston. "I wrote the arrangement in a very specific way... I hope that was heard," he penned. The singer also extended heartfelt thanks to various musicians who joined him on stage, including the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Kenny G, and Steve Hackman.
Performing the national anthem has been a long-held dream for Puth, who hopes to showcase his vocal capabilities as a standalone artist. Despite some pre-performance jitters, the singer is confident that his rendition will be well-received by fans. "I feel like people don’t really think of me as a standalone vocalist at times... It’ll be pressure the week leading up to it and the hour leading up to it."
When asked about his creative process, Puth revealed that he often finds himself 'reverse engineering' his own music in his head before bringing it to life. Ultimately, his goal was to inspire fans with a powerful performance that would leave them feeling uplifted by the transformative power of music.
In his conversation with Apple Music's Zane Lowe earlier this week, Puth spoke about the importance of using his platform to spread inspiration and appreciation for music. "I want everybody to know that music is such an amazing thing and can change so many people’s lives," he said.
just kidding, kinda serious tho... it was super emotional seeing him pay tribute to Whitney Houston 
he really put his heart into it and got some amazing guest stars too 
Kenny G on the sax? yeah, that's a mood 
now let's be real, who else could pull off singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" with a full choir & orchestra? pretty sure i'm still listening to Whitney's version when he finished 
! He put his heart into it and paid such a beautiful tribute to Whitney Houston, who was basically the queen of singing. I loved how he incorporated a choir and orchestra to give it that extra wow factor 
. It's awesome that he took the risk to perform at the Super Bowl, even though it was his first time doing it solo. Fingers crossed it'll do well for him! And I gotta agree with him about music being life-changing - it always gives me goosebumps 
.
! I was on the edge of my seat when he brought out the choir and orchestra - it was like a whole different level of emotion came out of him 
. And can we talk about how classy it was to pay homage to the legendary Whitney? The arrangement was so unique and special, it really made me think of Whitney's iconic performances 
. I'm not surprised he was nervous before performing, but honestly, I think he nailed it 
gotta give a shoutout to all the musicians who joined him on stage too, they added that extra special something 
it sounded like a generic singer trying too hard to be emotional instead of actually owning the performance 
I mean I get that Whitney Houston is an icon, but couldn't he have just done her justice instead of trying to put his own spin on it? 
it's not like we needed him to make it about himself 
Super Bowl vibes are overrated anyway... just saw a video of some puppy found under a house with 17 legs 
, guess that's what happens when you don't have enough love in the world 
. Charlie Puth's performance was nice, I guess, but who cares when there's more important things to worry about, like how climate change is still gonna be a major problem by 2050? 
Not exactly inspiring if you ask me... 
So Charlie Puth thought it was a great idea to put his own spin on the national anthem... like, I get it, he's trying to pay tribute to Whitney Houston, but can't we just stick to singing "America The Beautiful" next time? 
And honestly, who thought Kenny G was a good addition to this performance? 
Just saying. Anyway, I'm glad Puth is pushing himself out of his comfort zone, but maybe he should focus on writing some decent songs instead of trying to sing the national anthem 
I mean I get it, tribute to Whitney Houston but come on it's not like he was performing at a concert or anything 
. And btw I don't blame the guy for wanting to show off his skills, but maybe try something new next time? 
. That choral arrangement and Rhodes keyboard combo was EVERYTHING 
Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Kenny G, Steve Hackman... what a dream team! 
. He totally deserves this opportunity, and I'm sure it'll be a HUGE hit (pun intended 
). Plus, his message about spreading inspiration and appreciation for music is SO relatable 
the choral arrangement with rhodes keyboard and choir added a nice depth to the performance... and it's awesome that he gave shoutouts to the musicians who joined him on stage 
Also, did you know that this is one of the most-watched Super Bowl halftime shows of all time? 
It had over 102 million viewers in the US! 
Can we talk about how amazing it is for him to take a chance and showcase his vocal skills as a standalone artist? It's all about spreading inspiration and appreciation for music, you know