After sparking a nationwide debate with her performance of the U.S. National Anthem in Spanish at a Dodgers home game over the weekend, Nezza, a rising singer, dancer and social media personality, is seeing a wave of appreciation after what initially appeared to be serious backlash.
According to the 30-year-old artist, who says she represents her Dominican and Colombian roots in both her art and public life, the unexpected choice to sing “El Pendón Estrellado,” was made despite the team’s instructions not to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in any language other than English.
The Spanish-language version of the national anthem was commissioned in 1945 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In an interview with KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff, Nezza explained the decision was an intentional act of solidarity amid the wake of frequent immigration enforcement raids and subsequent protests in Los Angeles.
“I knew that 80%, 90% of the people in those stands were going to be of Latin descent, Latino community,” she said. “I did it for them.”
The singer added that she fully expected to get booed and was trying to shut all that out during her performance.
“When I opened my eyes and heard the roar and saw everyone standing and cheering, it was so overwhelming because in that moment, I knew I had done the right thing,” she said.
In a video posted to TikTok shortly after her performance, Nezza shared an emotional explanation: “I just felt like I needed to do it. Para mi gente,” she said. “Safe to say I’m never allowed in that stadium ever again.”
While some fans have said they prefer that politics stay out of sports, many fans have been critical of the World Series championship organization’s silence during the amped up ICE activity in a city full of Latino fans.
On Tuesday, the Dodgers organization finally released a statement, saying this about Nezza:
“There were no consequences or hard feelings from the Dodgers regarding her performance. She was not asked to leave. We would be happy to her back.”
The singer told KTLA that she was surprised by the Dodgers statement because that’s not the initial message she received from the organization, saying a representative for the team told her manager that they should never call or email the team again.
Dodger fan Sean Ervin said he respected the singer’s choice to stand with the community.
“I just think somebody needed to speak out, at that time, and it feels like the Dodgers haven’t,” he said. “So, I was happy to see her do it.”
Another fan, Katie Aldana echoed the sentiment, saying she wishes more people would do it.
“It’s getting political, and I think what she did was great,” she said. “We need more of that.”
Despite the Dodgers statement, Nezza said she still doesn’t feel welcome at the stadium, but acknowledged that things can, of course, change over time.
