Singer: Dodgers Tried to Stop Spanish Rendition of Anthem

Latin-R&B singer Nezza delivered a powerful statement at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, singing the national anthem entirely in Spanish—apparently against the wishes of the team hosting her. Nezza, aka Vanessa Hernández, who became visibly emotional during the rendition, later shared a TikTok video in which a Los Angeles Dodgers employee is heard telling her that the song should be performed in English. "I didn't think I would be met with any sort of no, especially because we're in LA and with everything happening," Nezza said in a later video, per the Washington Post.

The 30-year-old singer said she instead chose to sing "El Pendón Estrellado," the official Spanish version of the national anthem commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, in response to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids which have triggered days of protest across LA. "Safe to say I'm never allowed in that stadium again," but "I just felt like I needed to do it para mi gente [for my people]," she said. "My parents are immigrants ... I just can't imagine them being ripped away from me." In fact, Nezza did not face any consequences and is not expected to be banned from Dodger Stadium, a team official tells the Los Angeles Times. (More national anthem stories.)