Country singer Ingrid Andress on Tuesday apologized and said she was drunk after a widely panned performance of the US national anthem at the MLB Home Run Derby.
“I’m checking myself into a facility today to get the help I need,” she wrote on Instagram. “That was not me last night. I apologize to MLB, all the fans, and this country I love so much for that rendition.”
The MLB is not commenting, spokesperson Matt Bourne said.
Photo: AP
On Monday night, the four-time Grammy nominee belted an a cappella version of The Star-Spangled Banner, an incredibly challenging song to sing. Clips of her less-than-popular rendition at the Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, went viral.
“I’m so sorry, I’m sure Ingrid Andress is a wonderful person, but that was one of the worst national anthems I think I’ve ever heard in my whole life,” Sports Illustrated writer Alex Carr wrote on X.
Andress, 32, who began her career as a Nashville songwriter, released her debut album Lady Like in 2020. Her breakthrough single More Hearts Than Mine peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the list for 20 weeks.
Her performance in Arlington quickly made the rounds on social media.
Vulture blogger Bethy Squires joked that Andress sang the national anthem “in cursive,” a reference to a popular Internet neologism referring to pop singers stretching vowels and accentuating their vocal fry.
Chris Wright, the executive editor of Saturday Down South, was a bit more delicate.
“I enjoy Ingrid Andress’ music and have seen her in concert,” he wrote on X. “After listening to that National Anthem, I have a newfound respect for her producers and sound crew. Wow.”
In the pantheon of controversial renditions of the national anthem at sporting events, Roseanne Barr’s rendition at a 1990 San Diego Padres game and Fergie’s at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game yielded similar reactions.
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