According to a spokesman of the United States Marine Band, Beyonce did not perform live at President Obama's inauguration but was simply lip syncing the national anthem to a pre-recorded track.
"All music is pre-recorded for the ceremony because there are so many eventualities and conditions that day," United States Marine Band rep Kristin DuBois told The New York Post's Page Six. "We performed, live, the band. But we received last-minute word that Beyonce was going to use the pre-recorded vocal track. Those were the instructions we were given. We don't know what the reason why."
According to a report by The Washingtonians, it was clear from the band's performance on Monday that they weren't playing live.
Beyonced took to her Instagram account earlier to share a picture of herself at a recording studio with a music sheet to "The Star Spangled Banner."
However, later the Marine Corps Band released a statement saying that while the band's performance was pre-record, the band was in no position to comment or access whether Beyonce was singing live or merely lip syncing.
"The Presidential Inaugural Committee requested that the Marine Band accompany Beyonce Knowles-Carter in the performance of the Star-Spangled Banner at the 2013 Inaugural Ceremony," the statement said. "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."
DuBois, however confirmed that Kelly Clarkson sang live, and that the band's staff arranger wrote the special arrangement of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" that she used.
See Beyonce's performance at the Inaugural below:
