Turns out Jennifer Hudson lip-synched her stellar rendition of The National Anthem before Sunday night’s Super Bowl.

It was Jenn’s first public performance since her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew were fatally shot last October.

“This was such an important performance, because it’s the first time everyone has seen Jennifer,” the show’s producer, Ricky Minor. “But she’s in such a great place, with such great spirits, and time can heal her wounds. She’s on fire right now and totally grounded.”

“That’s the right way to do it,” said Minor, who produced Whitney Houston’s 1991 rendition of the anthem. “There’s too many variables to go live. I would never recommend any artist go live, because the slightest glitch would devastate the performance.”