UPDATE, Tuesday, July 16, at 3:25 p.m.: Ingrid Andress just announced that she is checking into rehab following her unfortunate national anthem performance.
“I’m not gonna bulls**t y’all, I was drunk last night,” she wrote on all her social media platforms.
“I’m checking myself into a facility today to get the help I need. That was not me last night. I apologize to MLB, all the fans, and this country I love so much for that rendition. I’ll let y’all know how rehab is. I hear it’s super fun,” ending with, “xo, Ingrid.”
People had been trying to figure out what went wrong for the performer to give such a butchered rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Although the singer started with a fairly traditional take on the opening lines, it quickly became apparent that she was not going to execute the song at a level consistent with her achievements, including being a four-time Grammy nominee.
Fellow singers left messages of sympathy in the comments on her social accounts.
“Love you girl. I’m sorry you’re going through this And I’m sorry the world can be so cruel. Here for you xx” wrote singer Julia Michaels.
“I’m sending you love, Ingrid. Being this open takes a lot. You’ve got this. Hang in there,” wrote fellow country star Carly Pearce.
Singer and actress Kristen Chenoweth also commented, “You are doing what you need to do. A proud moment.”
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Original story continues below:
The four-time Grammy nominee, 32, took the mic Monday evening at the MLB Home Run Derby, live at Texas’ Globe Life Field, to perform the National Anthem. She quickly bemused everyone who heard the one-of-a-kind rendition in person, as well as those on social media, who have since been crowning it as one of the worst performances of the song.
After a fairly traditional take on the opening lines, things took a turn when she began singing, missing notes along the way and drawing visible reactions from the players on hand. At one point in ESPN’s broadcast of the performance, Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm, 27, appeared to stifle a smile, looking at his shoes with a wry grin on his face as he held his hat to his heart.
Social media quickly jumped on the performance, comparing it to Fergie’s unfortunate live rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game. However, Bohm’s reaction is reminiscent of LeBron James seemingly trying to stop himself from laughing during Macy Gray‘s National Anthem performance at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. Aside from the difficulty of the song itself, time has proven that performing the National Anthem is no easy gig, especially when attempting daring stylistic approaches.
Native to Michigan and raised in Colorado, Andress has had a fruitful career in country music, releasing her debut album Lady Like in March 2020. Between that and her 2022 sophomore album Good Person, Andress earned two Billboard Hot 100 hits with ‘More Hearts Than Mine’ and ‘Wishful Drinking’ with Sam Hunt, which peaked at numbers 30 and 47, respectively.
Throughout her career, Andress has been nominated for four Grammys, including Best New Artist, Best Country Song, and Best Country Album in 2021. Two years later, ‘Wishful Drinking’ was nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
Online commenters who were familiar with the artist were even baffled by the off-performance that hundreds of thousands have now viewed. “I’ve seen her live several times and she’s always been great! I have no idea what on earth happened there,” one user said of the four-time Grammy nominee. “Honestly, I feel bad for her because, wow.”
ESPN had originally uploaded the video but has since made it private for some reason. Fortunately, the internet being the internet, the video lives on as what many consider one of the worst performances of the patriotic song ever sung.