Singer and social media influencer Nezza defied the Dodgers’ direction to sing the national anthem in English and instead sang a Spanish version in protest of immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) raids taking place in Los Angeles.
Vanessa Hernandez, who goes by the name Nezza, shocked the 51,000+ in attendance Sunday night by eschewing the Stars & Stripes and singing El Pendón Estrellado, the official Spanish-language version of the U.S. National Anthem.
In a TikTok video posted by the singer, a Dodgers employee can be heard telling her, “We are going to do the song in English today, so I’m not sure if that wasn’t relayed,” in a conversation that occurred before the performance.
Then, the video shows Nezza singing El Pendon Estrellado, with a caption that reads, “So I did it anyway.”
In another video posted later, Nezza explains that the version of the anthem she sang was approved by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1945 as a way of fostering better relations with Latin American people. She also explained that, with the ongoing anti-ICE protests in the streets of Los Angeles, she felt she had to defy the Dodgers’ request.
“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 through tears. “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 [the Dodgers employee] walked in and told me ‘no.’ But I just felt like I needed to do it para mi gente [for my people].”
Nezza added, “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.”
Despite the singer’s refusal to follow instructions, a Dodgers representative told the Los Angeles Times that not only would the organization not punish Nezza in any way, but the team would even invite her back to perform again.