Indie artist Loomis claimed she didn’t know at what point her explicitly charged mistake during the national anthem would be broadcast live.
Loomis, the daughter of a veteran, was invited to sing the national anthem during the Free & Equal Elections Presidential Debate, held Wednesday between three independent candidates.
As she hit a high note with the lyrics “and the rocket’s red glare” in the first verse during a now-viral moment, her voice betrayed her and broke horribly, causing the singer to exclaim, “I f**ked it up.” I screwed up, can I go, can I go back, please?’
After being told the debate was ‘live’, she immediately went back to the anthem before interjecting seconds later: ‘I got too nervous’ before finishing strong.
“I really sing, I’m a good singer,” she defended herself TMZ on Friday and said she only had the day before to practice.
Loomis also explained that she started her performance too early during the debate and the producer yelled at her that they weren’t done yet, giving her the impression that they could re-record the performance if necessary.
As Loomis hit a high note with the lyrics “and the rocket’s red glare” in the first verse during a now-viral moment, her voice betrayed her and broke horribly, causing the singer to exclaim, “I screwed up.” “I screwed up, can I go, can I go back, please?”
After being told the debate was ‘live’ she immediately went back to the anthem before interjecting seconds later: ‘I got too nervous’ before finishing strong
“Ever since I was a little girl I’ve always said I don’t want to sing the national anthem, it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever done to me,” she told the tabloid. “I am the daughter of a veteran. So dad, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin the anthem.”
She said she then got “nervous” and “scared” and it got the best of her.
“Everyone stands up seriously,” she said. ‘Everyone is completely silent. It’s scary,” explained the singer, who averages 120 listeners per month.
“It’s so serious, it’s not like your own show when you’re allowed to be yourself or express yourself. It’s like standing up for the whole country.’
Despite the mistake, Loomis said she still “sang it really well.”
She also revealed that Good Morning America asked her to sing the national anthem again and she agreed. She also said she will have time to practice for her next performance.
Loomis, the daughter of a veteran, was invited to sing the national anthem during the Free & Equal Elections Presidential Debate, held Wednesday between three independent candidates.
Loomis also explained that she started her performance too early during the debate and the producer yelled at her that they weren’t done yet, giving her the impression that they could re-record the performance if necessary.
The singer also launched into an impromptu performance of the parts she messed up to show her fans and haters that she could hit the notes, reminding people that “imperfections are also the parts people feel most connected to.”
“I want every singer to know that sometimes you can fail, you can hit the wrong note, you can do anything, but you’re still a bad guy,” she concluded.
Loomis isn’t the first singer to botch the Star-Spangled Banner, as Fergie famously did in 2018 during an NBA All-Star Game when the players were caught trying to stifle their laughter.
To this day, Fergie’s performance is still widely regarded as the worst performance of all time.