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Singer Nezza sparked controversy over the weekend by performing the national anthem in Spanish at Dodgers Stadium despite being told by the organization not to. Nezza sang the anthem ahead of the Dodgers win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, June 14.
In a video posted to her official TikTok account, the 30-year-old Nezza said that the Spanish version of the National Anthem that she sang was commissioned by the U.S. State Department during the President Roosevelt administration in 1945.
Nezza said that she wanted to sing the song in Spanish at the Dodgers game due to the ongoing protests in Los Angeles to due raids by ICE and escalation by the federal government.
“We are going to do the song in English today. I’m not sure if that wasn’t relayed,” a Dodgers staffer can be heard telling Nezza prior to the start of the pregame ceremonies.
“I didn’t think I would be met with any sort of no, especially because we’re in LA and with everything happening. But today out of all days, I just could not believe when she [the Dodgers employee] walked in and told me ‘no.’ But I just felt like I needed to do it. Para mi gente,” she said on social media.
hhttps://www.tiktok.com/@babynezza/video/7515995487342824734
@babynezza i love you guys stay safe out there
Like most things in this country, Nezza’s decision to sing the anthem in Spanish at the Dodgers game — the city of Los Angeles is nearly 47% Latino, making it the majority population in the city — has sparked a wide range of reactions on social media.
While the Dodgers have not issued a public statement on the situation, the Los Angeles Times reported that “a team official said there were no consequences from the club regarding the performance and that Nezza would be welcome back at the stadium in the future.”
The Dodgers took two out of the three games against the San Francisco Giants over the weekend to improve to 43-29 record, giving them a two-game lead over the Giants in the National League West.