Charlie Puth has vowed to deliver “one of my best vocal performances” at the Super Bowl next year after being hit with criticism.
Puth, known globally for hits like “See You Again” and “Attention,” will perform the national anthem at the big game, set to take place Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, California. He’ll join a pre-game lineup that also includes Brandi Carlile and Coco Jones.
As has become commonplace for all Super Bowl performances, however, news of Puth’s appearance drew some less-than-positive commentary online. Among those to express their dissatisfaction with the choice was Link Lauren, a conservative social media personality who served as an aide for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his 2024 presidential campaign.
“Man we’ve fallen from when Whitney Houston sang at the Super Bowl,” Lauren wrote Monday on X. “Charlie Puth? He’s not gonna give us vocals I’m afraid.”
Charlie Puth, known globally for hits like “See You Again” and “Attention,” will perform the national anthem at the 2026 Super Bowl in February.
Alexander Tamargo via Getty Images
About an hour and a half later, Puth chimed in with a rebuttal.
“I’ll never claim to be as good of a singer as Whitney Houston ever was,” he wrote. “But I assure you we’re putting a really special arrangement together- in D major. It’ll be one of my best vocal performances.”
Puth’s comment was a wink at his “Professor Puth” TikTok video series, in which he breaks down music theory, production techniques and the creative process behind some of his songs. In a clip shared to his social media platforms Monday, he teased his performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” with an intentionally cheeky analysis of the vocal pitch required.
The NFL, meanwhile, has no doubts about Puth’s talents. In a press release announcing his performance, officials called him “one of music’s most consistent hitmakers and sought-after collaborators across multiple genres.”
2026 is shaping up to be a prolific year for Puth, who is currently expecting his first child with wife Brooke Sansone. The singer-songwriter, who in 2024 was famously name-dropped by Taylor Swift on “The Tortured Poets’ Department,” will unveil his fourth studio album, “Whatever’s Clever!,” in March.