Rachel Platten is apologizing for forgetting the lyrics to the National Anthem twice over the weekend while singing at an MLS soccer game.
“I feel really embarrassed, honestly. I’m having a hard time forgiving myself, but I’m working on it. It was incredibly, incredibly embarrassing,” the 36-year-old “Fight Song” singer told People. “I’ve been trying to retrace steps of what happened … it has just been hanging over me.”
“I was so nervous going into it. The anthem is such a big deal; it’s probably the most important song for our country. I always get nervous because it means so much because it is so powerful. I always want to do it justice, do a good job and give people the exact version they expect and they want,” she continued.
Rachel added, “I have done it a bunch of times, but I stepped in front of the people and I felt the expectation. I was ready to open up and do it, and my mind just went blank. I was trying to explain it to my husband: It was like a test that you know all the material to, you study so much and you get in there, and your mind doesn’t cooperate.”
“I was proud that I was able to finish … I actually can’t believe I didn’t forget more words and that I was able to complete the song. So I’m kind of shocked…What I’m not going to do is run away. I really want to run out of the stadium right now, but I’m not going to do that. I’m going to finish this song,’” she added. “None of us are perfect; I’m not perfect. I really understand how it feels to not like something about yourself or have a big flaw. This is an opportunity to own that message more and hopefully share it more powerfully.”
