Article: Nezza, “El Pendón Estrellado,” and the Sundance Documentary
Vanessa “Nezza” Hernández has never been one to stay quiet. The Colombian-Dominican singer, dancer, and social media star has spent more than a decade building her artistry, blending Latin and American influences in her music and performance style. But in June 2025, her voice reached far beyond pop culture circles and into a national conversation about identity, belonging, and what it means to be American. This, after she decided to sing the U.S. anthem in Spanish, during an LA dodgers game, sparking controversy in may outlets.
Born and raised in the Bay Area, California to parents from Colombia and the Dominican Republic, Nezza grew up straddling cultures. Music and movement were part of her world from the start. She launched her YouTube channel in 2009, where early videos showcased her dance skills, covers, and personality, giving her a direct line to fans around the world. Those early successes, combined with her persistence, led her into the music industry in earnest by 2018, with singles such as Temporary and On & On that highlighted her dual talent as a singer and dancer.
Her body of work continued to grow, with tracks blending R&B, pop, and Latin rhythms, charting streams in the millions and carving out a unique niche as a “Spanglish” pop voice connecting diverse audiences. Nezza’s artistry reflects not just catchy melodies but an authentic cultural hybridity that resonates deeply with fans who, like her, navigate multiple identities.
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The Anthem Moment That Broke Through Noise
Nezza’s biggest cultural breakthrough came on June 14, 2025, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. She had been invited to sing the U.S. national anthem before a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants, a high-profile platform most artists would treat as a career highlight. What she did, however, was far more than a performance.
Instead of the traditional English version of The Star-Spangled Banner, Nezza chose to sing “El Pendón Estrellado,” the official Spanish-language version of the anthem first commissioned by the U.S. State Department in 1945 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. That Spanish version was originally created to strengthen ties with Latin America during World War II and written by Peruvian-American composer Clotilde Arias, though it remained largely forgotten by the wider public until recent years.
In a video that quickly went viral after being posted to her TikTok account, an unidentified Dodgers employee can be heard telling Nezza beforehand that “we are going to do the song in English today,” suggesting that her plans to perform the Spanish version were not fully welcome. Nezza, dressed in a shirt honoring the Dominican Republic, performed anyway, singing directly to the crowd and millions online with the caption “para mi gente, I stand with you.”
@babynezza i love you guys stay safe out there
For Nezza, the choice was deeply personal, and political. The performance coincided with widespread protests and immigration enforcement actions in Los Angeles and around the country, and Nezza later explained that she felt she could not, in good conscience, deliver the anthem in English on that day. In a follow-up video, her voice broke with emotion as she said she simply had to sing it in Spanish, “for my people.”
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Some outlets reported that Nezza even began receiving death threats and harsh criticism from those who viewed her choice as controversial, yet she held firm in her belief that her rendition honored both her heritage and her country.
Although there were conflicting reports about the Dodgers’ reaction, with Nezza initially believing she might be unwelcome in the stadium again, the team later clarified that no formal ban or punishment was placed on her and that she remains welcome at future games.
La Tierra del Valor: Documentary at Sundance
The anthem moment and its cultural ripple effects caught the attention of Latina filmmaker Cristina Costantini, who decided that Nezza’s story deserved a cinematic telling. The result is the documentary “La Tierra del Valor” (The Home of the Brave), a short film selected for competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
Costantini, whose filmmaking often spotlights underrepresented voices and overlooked narratives, has said she was inspired by what she saw as an act of defiance and courage in Nezza’s choice. In her own reflections, she spoke about being raised in an immigrant family and watching the promise of America feel hollow as families in her community faced fear and displacement. Then she saw Nezza’s act, a stand that, in Costantini’s view, reconnected her to what it means to fight for belonging and dignity.
The film doesn’t just recount the anthem performance; it places the moment in context, exploring the broader climate of immigration tensions, community responses, and the emotional weight carried by those who see America both as home and as a place that still must live up to its ideals. Costantini’s documentarian lens brings depth to a moment that many saw as overblown in headlines, revealing the human stories beneath political flashpoints.
Why It Matters
Nezza’s decision to sing “El Pendón Estrellado” was more than a lyrical choice, it became a symbol of representation, rooted in her identity as the daughter of immigrants and as an artist unwilling to separate personal truth from public performance. In doing so, she helped shine a spotlight not just on her own career, but on a forgotten piece of American cultural history and the enduring role of immigrants in shaping it.
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As “La Tierra del Valor” makes its way to Sundance, audiences will have an opportunity to experience the personal stakes and societal textures behind a moment that captured headlines, and hearts, across the nation. It’s a story about art and courage, identity and expression, and the ongoing conversation about who gets to define the soundtrack of America.
