Jay-Z Finally Explains Their Refusal To Stand During US National Anthem At The Super Bowl

The refusal of music superstars Beyonce and Jay-Z  to stand during last night’s Super Bowl was met with fury by some sections of Americans.

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Jay-Z has revealed why he and Beyonce didn’t stand for Demi Lovato’s performance of the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

According to Jay-Z, their sitting during the anthem wasn’t supposed to convey a political message. “It actually wasn’t [a political message]. Sorry. It really wasn’t,” Jay-Z said.

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“It was not premeditated at all,” he continued, adding that TMZ- which first shared video footage of the couple in their seats – “can tell you anything without speaking to me. I need to tell you, if it was me, I would say, ‘Yes, that’s what I’ve done,’ and I think people would know that about me.”

The couple’s sit-down came under intense scrutiny. Many people on social media suggested it was a show of solidarity with former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose kneeling during the anthem to protest racial injustice prompted a wave of similar demonstrations and drew the ire of President Donald Trump.

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But Jay-Z insisted he didn’t stand on Sunday because he’d jumped “into artist mode” and was focused on the quality of the sound in the performance.

To bolster his story, Jay-Z said that if there had been a plan for the couple to protest, their 8-year-old daughter Blue Ivy would have given the game away by constantly asking when they were going to do it.

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“We were making the biggest, loudest protest of all,” Jay-Z added, citing the halftime performances of Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, which took a swipe at President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policies.

“Given the context, I didn’t have to make a silent protest,” he added.