An indie singer is being credited with one of the worst national anthem performances of all time during the nationally televised Free & Equal Presidential Debate between three third-party presidential candidates.
Indie singer Loomis was tapped to perform the Star Spangled Banner at the event, which featured Libertarian Party nominee Chase Oliver, Green Party nominee Jill Stein and Constitution Party nominee Randall Terry.
Loomis’ rendition was going well through the first half of the song, but after wavering on the high note for “and the rockets red glare,” the singer paused and said, “I fu**ed that up, I fu**ed that up. Can I go back? Can I go back, please?”
A voice from offstage could then be heard saying, “we’re live.”
At that point, a visibly flustered Loomis resumed her performance before again blurting out, “I got through nervous.” She then finished the song at a rushed pace before receiving a round of applause from the audience.
The singer — who had less than 3,000 streams on Spotify before the performance — explained what happened in a chat with TMZ. She told the outlet that she was only notified about the performance a day before, adding that she thought things were going well throughout the first half.
Loomis further stated that she “wasn’t thinking clearly” due to her nerves and that she was always afraid to perform the national anthem. “It’s like the scariest thing to me ever, since I was a little girl. Because, you know, everyone is standing up all serious. Everyone’s all quiet. It’s scary,” she said.
The singer went on to tease another national anthem performance in the near future, as well as an appearance on “Good Morning America.”
On social media, Loomis’ rendition was compared with some of the worst national anthem performances of all time, including Fergie’s performance at the 2018 NBA All-Star game and Kat DeLuna at a 2008 Dallas Cowboys game.
6 years ago, Fergie sang the national anthem at the NBA All Star Game pic.twitter.com/R5DryrSglU
— pop & hot culture (@notgwendalupe) February 18, 2024
