Following Criticism for Dodger Stadium Performance, Nezza Sings at City Hall
LOS ANGELES (CNS) – The City Council welcomed pop-artist Nezza to perform the United States National Anthem in the Council Chamber on June 18, when just four days ago, the musician sang a Spanish rendition of the song at a Dodgers game after being told by the team not to.
City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez held a presentation Wednesday, providing Nezza an opportunity to take center stage at City Hall.
“I’m very proud today to have a proud American of Dominican and Colombiana, también, los dos, standing here with us today,” Rodriguez said. “In a moment in time when our community continues to be targeted, racially profiled and frankly, abducted across the country, she did something very profound.”
The musician, whose name is Vanessa Hernandez, performed a roughly 90-second rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in Spanish, prompting a standing ovation from council members, city staff and some members in the audience.
On Saturday, Nezza’s performance at Dodger Stadium went viral on social media, as well as a behind-the-scenes video she posted, in which a representative for the team asked her not to perform the anthem in Spanish.
In her TikTok video, Nezza is seen talking with a Dodger employee, who is off-camera. The representative can be heard saying, “We are going to do the song in English today, so I’m not sure if that wasn’t transferred or if that wasn’t relayed.”
According to reports, Nezza wasn’t sure if she was going to sing the anthem in English or in Spanish, but after seeing hundreds of Latino fans in the stadium, she made her decision.
Some Dodger fans have expressed frustration with the team for its lack of support for immigrants impacted by deportation raids in the city. U.S. federal officials have stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations are expected to continue in Southern California.
Manager Dave Roberts has stated that he doesn’t know enough about the issue to comment. Meanwhile, Dodgers hitter Kike Hernandez separately spoke on the issue via his Instagram.
“I am saddened and infuriated by what’s happening in our country and our city,” according to a social media post in English and Spanish. “I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights.”
According to Nezza, her manager received a call from an unidentified Dodgers employee, who said the singer was not welcome at the stadium again. A later statement from the team to the Associated Press stated there were “no consequences or hard feelings” and that they would be “happy to have her back.”
Rodriguez addressed these issues and backed Nezza. The councilwoman said Nezza took a “remarkable stance when many sports figures will take a knee.”
She also highlighted that the Spanish rendition of the national anthem was commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration in 1945.
This rendition is known as “El Pendon Estrellado,” the official translated version of the anthem, by Peruvian-American composer and lyricist Clotilde Arias.
The federal government made “The Star-Spangled Banner” the country’s official national anthem in 1931, which had been translated into multiple languages, as well as into two Spanish versions.
At the end of World War II, the U.S. Division of Cultural Cooperation of the Department of State partnered with the Music Educators National Conference on an official Spanish rendition of the anthem.
Arias’ composition is the only official translation of the national anthem allowed to be sung, according to the Smithsonian. In September 2012, the museum curated an exhibition to commemorate the life of Arias, called the “Not Lost in Translation: The Life of Clotilde Arias/La Vida de Clotilde Arias.”