Singer Nezza Performs National Anthem In Spanish After Dodgers Told Her Not To

LOS ANGELES — When musician Nezza performed the national anthem at Saturday’s Dodgers home game against the Giants, she sang it in Spanish, telling her social media followers she felt compelled to do so despite being told by the team to perform in English.

"I didn't think I would be met with any sort of, like, 'no,' especially because we're in LA and with everything happening,” Nezza, whose full name is Vanessa Hernandez and who is Colombian-Dominican, said in reference to the immigration raids and protests that have roiled the city for weeks. "I just felt like I needed to do it.”

Nezza also posted a video that appears to show a Dodgers employee telling her the song is to be sung in English, followed by her performance in Spanish, during which she wore a Dominican Republic T-shirt.

She told her social media followers she was “shooken up and emotional” and that Saturday was “easily one of the scariest days of my life.”

She also noted she is a daughter of immigrants, although her parents are now U.S. citizens.

"I just can't imagine them being ripped away from me, even at this age, like, let alone like a little kid,” she said. "Safe to say I'm never allowed in that stadium ever again.”

The Athletic reported she was not punished or ejected from the ballpark nor is she expected to be banned in the future.

The Spanish version of “The Star Spangled Banner” that Nezza performed was translated in 1945 by Peruvian immigrant Clotilde Arias for the Department of State and the Music Educators National Conference, according to the National Museum of American History. It is the only official translation of the national anthem allowed to be sung, according to the museum.

The Dodgers have not made a public statement about the protests in Los Angeles, according to The Athletic, although utility player Kiké Hernández posted Saturday on Instagram that he was “saddened and infuriated by what’s happening in our country and our city.”