A NATIONAL anthem performer claims she was told by the Los Angeles Dodgers she had to sing in English.
But the musician defied orders and belted out a Spanish version of the US anthem instead.
Nezza was in tears as she explained a national anthem incident at a Dodgers game[/caption]
The 30-year-old claimed she was told she had to sing in English[/caption]
Nezza, real name Vanessa Hernandez, was tasked with singing the Star Spangled Banner before an MLB game this weekend.
The 30-year-old took to the field at Dodger Stadium before the game against the San Francisco Giants.
Her performance came amid protests and unrest in Los Angeles after ICE raids.
And it took place on the same day as “No Kings” protests in the city against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Nezza posted a video to her 350,000 TikTok followers which had more than seven million views.
She wrote on the clip, “Watch the Dodgers tell me I can’t sing the Spanish Star Spangled Banner that Roosevelt literally commissioned in 1945.”
An unidentified person was heard telling her, “We are going to do the song in English today.”
Nezza’s video then cut to a clip of her singing on the field in Spanish.
“So I did it anyway,” she added as a caption.
In a follow-up video on TikTok, the 30-year-old explained her decision while fighting back tears.
“I didn’t think I would be met with any sort of no, especially because we’re in LA and with everything happening,” she said
“And I’ve sang the national anthem many times in my life.
“But today out of all days, I could not. I’m sorry.
“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.”
Nezza defied the apparent order and sang in Spanish anyway[/caption]
The last three words translate into English as “for my people.”
Nezza continued, “I’m proud of myself for doing that today.
“Because my parents are immigrants and they’ve been citizens my whole life at this point.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers have not made a public statement on the issue.
The Los Angeles Times reports that a club executive told them they would not be making any comment.
