Beyonce ‘Proud’ of Super Bowl Performance Despite Anti-Police Criticism

Beyoncé is satisfied with her Pepsi Super Bowl 50 halftime show performance.

The singer spoke with Entertainment Tonight after Sunday’s show, in which she debuted her new song “Formation” in a performance alongside Coldplay and Bruno Mars.

“It makes me proud,” the 34-year-old said, and added that it “felt great” to sing her new hit in front of so many people.

The hyped halftime show included Coldplay performing numerous hits amid a full marching band and an entire Day-Glo colored orchestra – Beyoncé said seeing the band perform was her favorite part of the show.

She took to the field with a slew of dancers, all wearing an entire black ensemble topped off with berets. She performed the song just one day after its release, which was accompanied by a video filled with powerful messages.

The singer told ET that she wants the single to have a positive impact on her fans’ lives.

“I wanted people to feel proud … and have love for themselves,” she said.

In the video, Beyoncé makes visual references to Hurricane Katrina, the black South, police brutality, feminism and African-American culture. The song and video quickly caught – and held – the attention of social media, with Twitter users calling it a “celebration of Blackness.”

But both the video and Beyoncé’s halftime show performance have sparked backlash, with many social media users calling “Formation” “anti-police” and tweeting #BoycottBeyonce.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani criticized the performance Monday on Fox News, calling the singer’s display an attack on police.

“This is football, not Hollywood, and I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us and keep us alive,” he said, and added that the performance should have been “decent” and “wholesome.”

During the performance, Beyoncé’s dancers wore berets similar to ones wore by Black Panthers. The dancers also appeared in a photo with their fists raised with one holding up a sign that read, “Justice 4 Mario Woods” – a 26-year-old shot by police in San Francisco last year.

New York Rep. Pete King appears to share Giuliani’s view. On Monday he tweeted that both the “Formation” video and Beyoncé’s Super Bowl performance were “shameful.”

This article originally appeared on People.com