And the Home of the Braaaaavvee

And the Home of the Braaaaavvee

Sidney Moyers, Associate Editor-in-Chief

Singing the “Star Spangled Banner” at an event is such a huge honor and some performers will spend months upon months practicing for it. Some of the vocalists are jaw-dropping while others are less than sub-par. On February 18th, when the famous R&B singer Fergie performed the national anthem at an NBA game, she decided to put her own twist to the classic and people were definitely NOT happy about it.

Many people thought she way too pitchy, jazzy and flat out over the top. Some even went as far as to say that she was being disrespectful because of the way she was attempting to make the patriotic song sound sexy or sultry. Because of all the pressure, Fergie even apologized for her performance, saying “I’ve always been honored and proud to perform the national anthem and last night I wanted to try something special for the NBA. I’m a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn’t strike the intended tone. I love this country and honestly tried my best.”

To put it simply: yikes!

Personally, I wasn’t a fan either. I thought the performance was cringe-worthy and it was hard to sit through the entire act. However, I do think she’s a good singer and has a good voice. I just don’t think that she used it to her advantage.