The translated national anthem, “El Pendón Estrellado,” was commissioned by the U.S. State Department in 1945. Clotilde Arias, a Peruvian immigrant, composed it.
On Saturday night, singer Nezza sang a Spanish version of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” also known as “El Pendón Estrellado,” at Dodger Stadium, despite being told by an unnamed representative of the baseball organization that she sing it in English.
The 30-year-old pop singer, whose real name is Vanessa Hernández, uploaded the interaction on TikTok, where she proceeded to sing the Spanish version anyway. She captioned the video, “para mi gente [heart] I stand with you.”
In a tearful follow up TikTok video, she clarified that her decision to follow through with singing “El Pendón Estrellado” was in response to the ongoing immigration sweeps throughout Los Angeles
“I’ve sang the national anthem many times in my life but today out of all days, I could not,” Nezza said in the TikTok video.
The Dodgers did not issue a public comment on Nezza’s social media posts, but a team official said there were no consequences from the club regarding the performance and that Nezza would be welcome back at the stadium in the future.
“I just don’t understand how anyone can watch the videos that have been surfacing and still be on the wrong side of history,” Nezza told The Times.
Nezza’s performance has also sparked conversations about the origins of “El Pendón Estrellado,” resurfacing the legacy of a trailblazing Latina composer, Clotilde Arias.
“The lyrics and the story are the same,” said Nezza.
