Singer Nezza's battle for belonging: Why her national anthem at Dodgers game sparked controversy

Time of India

5 hours ago

Singer Nezza breaks silence: Was she really banned after controversial performance? (Getty Images)
Los Angeles-based singer Vanessa Hernández, known professionally as Nezza, recently made headlines after performing the national anthem in Spanish at a Dodgers game—a move that has sparked both admiration and backlash.
What began as an artistic expression of unity quickly escalated into a cultural flashpoint, highlighting tensions around language, representation, and immigrant identity in one of America's most diverse cities.
Nezza talks about the national anthem performance controversy
Nezza performed the Spanish version of 'The Star-Spangled Banner'—El Pendón Estrellado, a translation officially commissioned by the Roosevelt administration in 1945—before a Dodgers matchup against the San Francisco Giants.
The performance was powerful, heartfelt, and deeply intentional. In the days leading up to the game, immigration raids in Los Angeles had stirred widespread fear and protests, and Nezza says her choice to sing in Spanish was a gesture 'para mi gente'—for her people.
What followed, however, was not the celebration of unity she'd hoped for.
— libsoftiktok (@libsoftiktok)
In a TikTok video that has now gone viral with over 12 million views, Nezza showed part of an exchange where she was told to sing only in English.
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According to her, Dodgers officials never explicitly said 'no' ahead of time. 'Weeks before, we asked if I could do both languages. They just sent over a PDF with timing guidelines,' she explained in an interview on Power 106. Given a 90-second window, Nezza and her team initially planned a bilingual rendition.
But as the political climate intensified, she made a last-minute decision: she would sing the entire anthem in Spanish.
The reaction, she says, was swift and punitive.
'Ten seconds after I finished, they called and said, 'Don't email us. Don't call us ever again. Your clients are never welcome here again,'' she recounted. 'That feels like a ban.'
Adding to the confusion, a Dodgers spokesperson later released a public statement contradicting this account. 'She was not asked to leave. We would be happy to have her back,' the team said. But for Nezza, the damage had been done.
'That's not the message I received,' she told NBC4. 'Regardless if I'm welcome back, I don't feel welcome to come back.'
Her performance—intended as a tribute to Latino heritage and a call for inclusion—felt to her like a moment of cultural dismissal. 'It just felt like such a stab to the Latino people when they said no,' Nezza said. 'And it hit me to my core.'
Despite the controversy, Nezza has received an outpouring of support from fans and the broader Latin community.
'Seeing the Latin community just come together in this moment and be like, 'We're with you,' has been so crazy and loving,' she said.
Even Dodgers star Kiké Hernández joined the conversation. On Instagram, he wrote, 'All people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity, and their human rights. I stand with you #CityOfImmigrants.'
Nezza insists that her performance wasn't meant to be rebellious or disrespectful.
'The lyrics are the same,' she said. 'I was still singing that I'm a proud American. I really just wanted to make the Latin community feel included.'
Whether or not Nezza will ever return to Dodger Stadium remains unclear. But her bold act—and the uproar that followed—has reignited an essential conversation about language, identity, and the true meaning of patriotism in modern America.
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