Fergie baffles viewers with 'sexed up' US national anthem performance: 'Worst rendition ever'
Chance the Rapper, Jimmy Kimmel and several NBA players were caught giggling at the performance
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Performing the national anthem in the US is a pretty big deal, so it's understandable that an artist tasked with the challenge may be struck down with nerves.
But even that doesn't quite explain the mess that was Fergie's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the NBA All-Star Game over the weekend.
Appearing to put a kind of jazz spin on it, she sang breathily into the mic and hit more than a few bum notes as she belted it out towards the end.
Her spin on the song didn't seem to appeal to viewers, and even got a few giggles from the likes of Chance the Rapper, late night host Jimmy Kimmel, and some of the players themselves.
Viewers tweeted their distaste for the performance and went so far as to brand it the "worst rendition ever" - although some remembered Roseanne Barr's intentionally awful performance at the 1990 San Diego Padres baseball game.
Barr herself chipped in and tweeted: "Who saw Fergie's national anthem performance at the NBA All Star Game? I think mine was better lowkey?"
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments