On Saturday February 17th, 2018 at the NBA All-Star basketball game, former Black Eyed Peas member, Fergie, gave an unforgettable performance of the National Anthem.

From the moment she took her first deep breath and started moving her hands up to the top of the microphone, we knew something was about to surprise us all.

When the National Anthem is performed, we usually assume it to be very simple, beautifully sung, and easily followed, but this execution reminded the public slightly of Marilyn Monroe’s, “Happy Birthday, Mr. President.”

Many things were proven unnecessary in Fergie’s version. One being that she had very forced vibrato that came off as if she was straining her vocal cords. This is very concerning because she is a professional performer who could end up with nodules or any other vocal disorder in the future. Good thing the high point of her career is behind her!

Secondly, she took very big breaths in between words. The words “wave” and “brave” are meant to be said or sung as one phrase but she continued to seperate the words with heavy breaths. It was NOT Fergalicious.

Although we can try to appreciate her attempt to sing with a jazzy style, it was unfortunately executed poorly and probably didn’t go as Fergie planned. One positive comment on her performance was she did have impressive posture and deep emotion. Even though the emotion didn’t match the theme of the National Anthem, it was a thoughtful attempt.

Fergie’s national anthem was also not only intensely pitchy, but also she made it about her. Trying new things and trying to showcase your own voice while singing the National Anthem is selfish and inconsiderate.

The National Anthem is a song sung for the United States of America. It is for our country and our soldiers. The citizens of the United States all know this song and all want to sing along to it, but Fergie’s spin made it impossible to follow.

Also, Fergie’s approach was noticeably longer and more dragged out than most performances of the National Anthem. Most people sing the song in 2 minutes or less but hers was 2 minutes and 16 seconds——that is a long time. I think she realized after that she had made a terrible mistake. Let’s just say….big girls DO cry.

When someone sings the National Anthem this horrendously, we all think back to the Super Bowl in 1991 when Whitney Houston brought us to a feeling of complete awe. Oh, Whitney Houston, where were you in this time of need?!?

The public really seemed to get a laugh from seeing the players reactions too. They were in complete shock that they started the song with straight faces and were brought to tears from laughter by the end. Basically their emotions went: BOOM BOOM POW.

Fergie’s hand gestures and facial expressions really made the crowd and people of America laugh on end. Did you know the word “banner” had 57 syllables in it?

As a tweet by @OddOutlaw said, “#Fergie didn’t sing the National Anthem we needed, she sang the National Anthem we deserved”

Thank you Fergie.

Let’s play some basketball!!!