Los Angeles was the center of the country over the weekend, as many in the area took to the streets to protest ICE and the mass deportations happening across the country.
Amidst those protests, the Dodgers hosted the Giants, and the national anthem singer on Sunday night made a controversial decision to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” in Spanish. Vanessa Hernandez, who goes by the name Nezza, appeared to go against the Dodgers’ wishes to use the Spanish version instead of the English one.
The decision caused controversy on social media, as tensions have been high all weekend with the protests around the country. Therefore, here’s a breakdown of the situation.
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Did the Dodgers ban Nezza from singing the Spanish national anthem?
Nezza posted a video on TikTok showing a Dodgers employee telling her of the team’s preference to perform the national anthem in English. However, the singer decided to defy those wishes and perform the song in Spanish instead.
“We are going to do the song in English today,” a Dodgers employee appeared to tell Nezza before the game. “I’m not sure if that wasn’t relayed.”
However, Nezza still performed the song in Spanish, but she was met with backlash after the performance.
“I didn’t think I’d be met with any sort of like, no, especially because we’re in L.A., and with everything happening,” She said in another video. “I’ve sang the national anthem many times in my life, but today, out of all days, I could not. I just could not believe when she walked in and told me now, but I just felt like I needed to do it. Para mi gente.”
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What is the Spanish national anthem?
In 1945, president Franklin D. Roosevelt and the U.S. State Department commissioned a Spanish version of the national anthem that the government then distributed to Spanish-speaking countries. Clotilde Arias, a Peruvian composer, created a translation of “The Star Spangled Banner” called “El Pendón Estrellado,” which became the official Spanish version of the national anthem.
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Is Nezza banned from Dodgers Stadium?
While Nezza decided to go against the Dodgers’ preferences to perform the national anthem in Spanish, there is no evidence yet that the team has banned the singer from Dodger Stadium.
Since the performance, the Dodgers have not publicly commented on the matter.
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Who is Nezza?
Nezza is a 30-year-old Latin American singer and dancer who has a large social media following. She is part-Columbian and part-Dominican, but has spent the majority of her life in Los Angeles.
Nezza has worked alongside many big-name singers, like Selena Gomez and Lady Gaga, but she has made her own mark combining Latin and American music.
