Whitney to Puth: Jersey finally returns to the Super Bowl anthem stage

I’ve always loved following our famous New Jersey music artists — from Sinatra and Frankie Valli to Bruce, Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny!

Celebrating the legacy of New Jersey music icons

Back when I was Program Director at New Jersey 101.5, I launched our “Proud To Be New Jersey Weekends” and our Thanksgiving “Jersey Homecoming Weekends,” where we spotlight artists who call the Great Garden State home. I got to enjoy that all over again this past holiday weekend, and it reminded me why I started those in the first place.

Discovering Charlie Puth’s unexpected Jersey roots

When I left NJ101.5 in 2017, one of my first assignments was programming a contemporary music station in Wilmington, Delaware — and that’s when I really got to know Charlie Puth. One of my favorites of his is “Attention.” His blue-eyed soul style goes toe-to-toe with greats like Hall & Oates and Michael McDonald.
And yet somehow, despite all that listening, I totally missed the fact that Charlie is from New Jersey… until today!

Born and raised in Rumson, right in Monmouth County, Charlie has always had a little Garden State swagger baked in. While other Jersey kids were hanging at the shore, he was plinking piano keys, playing with synths, and beatboxing down the halls of Rumson–Fair Haven Regional High. His mom taught him piano, and by age five he had perfect pitch — the kind of kid who could hear a chord in the wind or ocean waves and instantly know the notes.

From Rumson prodigy to global hit-maker

Fast-forward a bit, and this local keyboard-tinkering kid became a global hit-maker. He’s penned and produced massive singles like “See You Again,” “Attention,” and “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” piling up streams, awards chatter, and a reputation as a wildly versatile singer-songwriter-producer.

But even with all that success, Jersey never faded in Charlie’s rear-view mirror. He gives back, too — he’s the honorary chair of the music scholarship program at the Count Basie Center for the Arts, helping young, music-loving locals get the training and opportunities they deserve.

A New Jersey star steps onto the Super Bowl stage

And now… SUPER news!
Charlie’s been chosen to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium. Yes — a Jersey Shore guy on the biggest stage in football.

It’ll be the first time in 35 years that a New Jersey artist performs the Anthem at the Super Bowl — the last being the legendary Whitney Houston in 1991. (One of my favorite vocalists ever. We lost her far too soon.)

So whether he’s crafting beats in his studio, helping the next generation at the Basie Center, or gearing up to sing for tens of millions at the Super Bowl… Charlie Puth is yet another reason we’re Proud To Be New Jersey!