Lady Gaga proved once and for all she has some serious pipes. Before a jammed-packed Pepsi Halftime show with Coldplay, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars - and before the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers, Lady Gaga kicked off Super Bowl 50 at Levi's stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., with a knockout rendition of the National Anthem that has some people going gaga over her vocals and others comparing her to the legendary Whitney Houston.
The "American Horror Story" actress belted out her performance while wearing a glittering red Gucci suit with matching shimmering eye shadow and American-flag inspired platform shoes.
"I've always wanted to sing the National Anthem at a major sporting event since I was a little girl, and for it to be the Super Bowl, it is the ultimate..." she told NFL.com.
Gaga also recalled re-watching iconic performances to prepare her for her big gig.
"For me, it was Whitney Houston," she added. "When I was little, I used to stand at the top of my staircase and sing along with her version. At home, the more I would sing it, the more my dad would say, 'You're getting pretty good, kid.' So to be here now and to sing it to America, it's just wonderful."
She was joined by Academy Award winning actress Marlee Matlin, who performed a sign language version of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Gaga joins a long and prestigious group of Super Bowl National Anthem performers, including Kelly Clarkson, Idina Menzel, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, and Beyoncé.
After her outstanding performance, Gaga made sure to celebrate, posting a video on Twitter of herself dancing her heart out while Coldplay, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars dominated the stage during their halftime show.
This month will be a big one for Gaga.
Last week, Gaga announced that she will pay tribute to the late David Bowie at the upcoming Grammy Awards on Feb. 15 and will sing her Oscar-nominated track "Til It Happens to You" at the Oscars on Feb. 28.
Here are some of the reactions on Twitter to Gaga's performance:
.@ladygaga just Whitney Houston-ed that. Damn. #SB50
— Alicia Hansen (@aliciamhansen) February 7, 2016
Still talking Lady Gaga's National Anthem.. Hubs:"No one's been THAT good since Whitney Houston!"#SB50 #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/qACo7MvdgL — Jamie N. Otis (@jamienotis) February 8, 2016
Wow! @ladygaga straight crushed the "Star-Spangled Banner", dare I say the best since Whitney Houston? pic.twitter.com/hjhOXgjckd — XFINITY Sports (@XFINITYSports) February 7, 2016
YES, @LADYGAGA, YES!!!!!!!!! #sb50 #nationalanthem — Jordin Sparks (@JordinSparks) February 7, 2016
Well @ladygaga wins the Super Bowl and every other single thing SLAY QUEEN!!
— krysten ritter (@Krystenritter) February 8, 2016
Lady Gaga was great but looked like Effie from Hunger Games. #SB50 pic.twitter.com/lbsxQJZWze — ellen crooke (@ellencrooke) February 8, 2016
A lot of people didn’t know Lady Gaga could “sing like that” https://t.co/1HI6vDx5EO https://t.co/7dbcEjltNU — BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) February 8, 2016
