“Very musically difficult song to sing”: Charlie Puth opens up about nerves and inspiration before Super Bowl LX performance

Charlie Puth is best known for his feature in the Furious 7 hit song “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa. The song was a tribute to the late Paul Walker, who passed away in a car crash in 2015. Puth won several awards for the song, including the Billboard Music Award, Critics’ Choice Award, Hollywood Film Award, and Teen Choice Award, and received nominations for the Grammy Award and Golden Globe Award.Anyone who listens to that heart-melting song, even after a decade, may admit they get goosebumps [there’s even a term for that: aesthetic chills]. It is beyond soulful. With so much depth in music and feeling, Puth as a singer stands between soul-stirring and serene. He brings this depth to the NFL’s Super Bowl LX. In an interview with WJJY 106.7, the “We Don’t Talk Anymore” singer discusses his nerves and inspiration for the halftime performance.At a recent Apple Music Super Bowl 60 pregame show press conference in San Francisco, Puth shared that “The Star-Spangled Banner” is a “very musically difficult song to sing” because he has to hit “five more notes above the octave.” This comes from his Professor Puth persona. In August 2025, the “One Call Away” singer released the first episode of the Professor Puth series, in which he teaches music on his instruments, gives history lessons, shares fun facts and minute details, and uses his music to explain his theories. There have been over 15 episodes so far. Learning one’s own basics helps in the long run, reportedly aiding Puth with his Super Bowl LX preparation. “The arrangement is everything for me,” Puth said. “I always reverse-engineer how I hear my own music in my head, and then it’s just pulling it apart and making it a feasible product as a whole. So, I’ve been rehearsing this in my head for months, if that makes sense.”The 34-year-old singer-songwriter shared the Super Bowl performance news in an interview with Rolling Stone. He had waited for the opportunity for a long time. He recorded a demo of himself singing with a Rhodes keyboard and sent it to Roc Nation, a company that collaborates with the NFL on major music selections. “I actually have always wanted to do this,” Puth said. “I recorded a little demo, just me singing with the Rhodes, and sent it to Roc Nation. I’ve been told Jay-Z loved it, and it got to [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell, and they all said that I could do it.” He will be the first New Jersey native to perform the national anthem at the Super Bowl since Whitney Houston’s iconic performance in 1991, the year Puth was born [so 34 years later].In Dec. 2025, the “Attention” singer shared the exciting news with the world through an Instagram reel where he tries to teach supposed football players the high and low notes of music. He captioned the post: “I can’t believe I’m saying this... I will be performing the National Anthem at Super Bowl LX.”What does he expect from halftime show viewers? “I want them to feel inspired,” Puth shared. “I want everybody to know that music is such an amazing thing and can change so many people’s lives.”Has he ever played any sports? “I played baseball and would kick the dirt by third base,” Puth said. “I know that’s awkward to admit at such a sporty event, but I tried swimming and tennis, no. Soccer, I would do a backflip in the mud. I always heard music in my head.”