Misinterpreting the national anthems before a game is sacrilege for many sports fans, and singer Ellynora saw that last week.
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The entertainer drew much criticism for his performance ahead of Thursday’s Euro Qualifying Playoff game between England and Italy in Naples. The 28-year-old struggled with a few words from God Save the King and said she also had to deal with headphone issues.
Ellynora later apologized to the public through a post on her social media and said she hoped England appreciated her contribution; This letter was later deleted, as were the comments that followed.
“I’m so angry about what happened because I wanted to be perfect. However, these events are not my fault, the Italian-American commented in an emotional interview with the Chron. I would like to apologize to all the English fans who were at the stadium or saw this on TV. I’m devastated by these issues and I want to tell everyone that I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.”
“I’m more of a pop artist, but there was a problem with the sound,” she continued. I rehearsed the anthem twice the day before the game, then three more times that night. Except that at the time of the performance the listener was not working. I heard music in my ear. Then it stopped and started again. The lyrics played twice, so I was out of sync and it was difficult to get the beat.”
Despite all her goodwill, Ellynora could not avoid disaster. “I really tried to resolve this but there was nothing to do and I’m so angry. I tried to adjust my singing to catch up with the anthem being played in the stadium, but it was too late.