Beyoncé admits singing along to prerecorded track

Beyoncé answered critics of her Inauguration Day performance the best way she could -- with another sterling performance of the national anthem, The Associated Press reports.

The difference?

Thursday, it was live: She admitted during her Super Bowl news conference that when she performed for President Barack Obama and the nation, she decided to sing to a prerecorded track because she didn't have time to practice. Calling herself a perfectionist, she said she wanted the day to go off without a hitch.

"I practice until my feet bleed and I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra," she said, adding that she was also emotional that day. "Due to no proper sound check, I did not feel comfortable taking a risk. It was about the president and the inauguration, and I wanted to make him and my country proud, so I decided to sing along with my prerecorded track, which is very common in the music industry. And I'm very proud of my performance."

It was the superstar's first public comments on what has become known as "Beyoncé-gate." Her rendition of the anthem at the inauguration was critically praised, but it came under scrutiny less than a day later when a representative from the U.S. Marine Band said Beyoncé, 31, wasn't singing live and the band's accompanying performance was taped. Shortly after, the group backed off its initial statement and said no one could tell if she was singing live or not.

With the controversy growing each day, and everyone from politicians to other entertainers weighing in, the inauguration performance threatened to overshadow her planned Super Bowl halftime show. So Beyoncé addressed the issue as she took to the podium in New Orleans.

When pressed at the conference about whether any sound was coming from her voice when she sang for the president, she said she was singing along to the track and not lip-synching. And when asked if she would be singing live at the Super Bowl, she said: "I will absolutely be singing live. This is what I was born to do."