When Charlie Puth takes the field to sing the National Anthem at Super Bowl LX, he’ll be carrying a little piece of Jersey with him.
The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter grew up in Rumson and says his Garden State roots are central to his creative identity.
“New Jersey is the state with the most personalities,” Puth told New Jersey Monthly in a 2023 interview. “Growing up around that made me want to have that and then some.”
That sense of ambition helped propel Puth, 34, from a Jersey kid idolizing local legends like Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi to a global pop star, and, eventually, to someone who now speaks with those heroes “occasionally over the phone,” says Puth.
Puth is also married to a Jersey girl, tying the knot with childhood pal Brooke Sansome in fall of 2024. They even shared their first dance to a Meadowlands recording of “Jersey Girl” sung by Springsteen.
Ahead of Sunday’s performance, Puth spoke to the Associated Press about the unique pressure of singing the Anthem on football’s biggest stage. “There’s not one stadium that sounds alike,” he says, noting the importance of adjusting to the space. His approach? “You just make sure you don’t over sing.”
For New Jersey fans, Puth’s appearance offers a bit of hometown representation—even if neither the Jets nor the Giants are in the game. (The New England Patriots are facing off against the Seattle Seahawks.) And it places him in rare company: this year marks 35 years since Jersey native Whitney Houston’s iconic Super Bowl National Anthem performance, a benchmark still referenced whenever the song is sung on such a massive stage.
Puth’s fourth studio album is set for release March 27, followed by a world tour. This Sunday, though, all eyes—and ears—will be on the Jersey native as he delivers one of the most watched performances of his career.
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