Beyonce's former Destiny's Child bandmate Michelle Williams is defending the pop star for allegedly lip-syncing the National Anthem during  President Barack Obama's inauguration on Monday.

Members of the U.S. Marines Band who accompanied Beyonce in Washington, D.C., suggested she had mimed words to a pre-recorded backing track; however, new audio footage uncovered by the Wall Street Journal clearly features the hitmaker singing live.

Experts now believe Beyonce used the pre-recorded track to bolster her vocals during the performance.

Stars such as Aretha Franklin, LeAnn Rimes and Jennifer Lopez have defended her, and now Williams is also speaking out against the controversy.

She told Entertainment Tonight: "I will say this, it's not the first or the last time that someone has had to lip-sync... My greatest singer of all time, Whitney Houston, it came to light that her anthem was in fact lip-synced.
 
"With big crowds and echoes, you know when it's a big historical moment, you don't want any room for any mistakes, so I can understand why it was done."