Singer Nezza made a bold statement on June 14 when she decided to sing the Spanish-language version of the National Anthem at the Los Angeles Dodgers game.
She performed it before the game
Nezza, whose full name is Vanessa Hernández, performed the National Anthem in Spanish titled El Pendón Estrellado at the opening of the game between the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants on Saturday.
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She was told to sing it in English
The 32-year-old singer’s statement came amid the protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles this month.
After the performance, the singer shared in a video on TikTok that she had been told to sing the English version instead of the Spanish one.
Nezza shared the moment online
In the video, Nezza wrote, “Watch the Dodgers tell me I can’t sing the Spanish Star Spangled Banner that Roosevelt literally commissioned in 1945.”
An unidentified person tells Nezza in the video, “We are going to do the song in English today,” before adding, “I’m not sure if that wasn’t relayed.”
The video then cuts to her singing in Spanish
Nezza, who is also seen wearing a t-shirt in honor of the Dominican Republic, can then be seen in the video singing the anthem in Spanish, despite being told to sing it in English beforehand.
“So I did it anyway,” she wrote over the clip of her performance.
She made a follow-up video for context
Nezza then gave more context on her decision in another video, saying, “I’m still very shaken up and emotional.”
“I just got home from singing the national anthem in Spanish at the Dodgers game, and it is the official Star Spangled Banner in Spanish.”
The Spanish version was commissioned in 1945
The singer explained that the Spanish version of the anthem was commissioned in 1945 by the US State Department as part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor Policy which aimed to “foster a better relationship with Latin America.”
“Because of this, I didn’t think I would be met with any sort of like, no, especially because we’re in LA and with everything happening,” Nezza said.
Nezza was shocked to be told to do it in English
“And I’ve sung the national anthem many times in my life, but there was today out of all days, I could not,” the singer said.
“I’m sorry. Yeah, I just could not believe when she walked in and told me no. But I just felt like I needed to do it. Para mi gente.”
The singer did it “out of love”
She added that it was “out of love” that she sang the anthem in Spanish. “I’m proud of myself for doing that today because my parents are immigrants,” she said.
Nezza said her parents have been citizens for decades, “but I just can’t imagine them being ripped away from me, even at this age, let alone as a little kid.”
The Dodgers didn’t entirely dislike the move
Although Nezza thanked her fans before adding, “Safe to say I’m never allowed in that stadium ever again,” it seems the Dodgers didn’t entirely dislike her statement.
A team official told the Los Angeles Times that there were no consequences following the singer’s Spanish performance and that Nezza is welcome to return to the stadium in the future.