Who is Nezza? Real name, age, and more explored as singer performs the national anthem in Spanish at a Dodgers game, defying instructions

Up-and-coming Latin pop icon Nezza performed the US national anthem at the Dodgers versus Giants game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on June 14, 2025. However, she defied instructions by singing the national anthem in Spanish, instead of English.

Nezza, 32, whose real name is Vanessa Hernandez, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and content creator of Colombian and Dominican origin.

Following her performance, which has received mixed reactions online, Nezza shared an Instagram post on Sunday, where she spoke about her performance. She noted that it was "easily one of the scariest days" of her life as she sang the national anthem in Spanish "after being told I couldn't."

“Para mi gente [for my people]. I stand with you. Yesterday was easily one of the scariest days of my life. I sang ‘El Pendon Estrellado,’ [The Star-Spangled Banner], the OFFICIAL Spanish star spangled banner (commissioned by President Roosevelt) at the Dodgers game after being told I couldn’t,” her post read.

In the caption, she wrote that she was "so proud" that she sang it in Spanish, before asking her followers to stay safe and strong, and told them she loved them. The post showed Nezza being told by a female voice off-camera, “We are gonna do the song in English today. I’m not sure if that wasn’t relayed.”

Despite being asked to sing the U.S. national anthem in English, the reel shows the Latina songstress standing on the baseball field and singing the last line of The Star-Spangled Banner in Spanish. Nezza could also be seen overcome with emotions.

“Watch the Dodgers tell me I can’t sing the Spanish ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ that Roosevelt literally commissioned in 1945… So, I did it anyway,” her reel read.

Her performance came amid the ongoing anti-ICE demonstrations across the country, including in Los Angeles.

All you need to know about Nezza

Nezza was born in January 1993 in the Bay Area, California, and spent her teenage years in Los Angeles. She eventually settled in the city to pursue her dreams of working in the entertainment industry like her idols, including Selena Gomez, Zendaya, and Lady Gaga. She has stated that her favorite artist is SZA.

The vocalist, lyricist, dancer, and social media influencer is influenced by her Latino and Hispanic roots. She spoke to People Magazine in 2021 and said that she was "so proud to be Latinx," adding that they are "extremely passionate and lively human beings." The singer also told the publication that she wanted to spread love and give people "a performance they'll never forget."

"My dream is to see people dancing to my own music the way so many of my idols made me growing up — whether that's at a club or in their bedroom… I want people to get up and dance, but at the same time have an opportunity to relate to what I'm going through," she said.

In the same interview, Nezza called her music “rhythmic and heartfelt with a Spanglish flair.”

She rose to fame in 2009 after launching her YouTube channel VVVSAYSDANCE. On the page, she created content based on her lifestyle, music, dance videos, and choreographed song covers.

Nine years later, Nezza debuted her original songs Temporary and On & On, which quickly went viral. In 2019, she released more music, including singles, Strangers, Nothing Now, Cuentos, and Good Love, among others.

In 2020, her songs Bailemos (ft. Alan Mattheus) and Corazon Frio amassed over 1 million streams on Spotify. It was also streamed on global radio stations including Radio Latina in France and VM Latino in Costa Rica.

In 2021, Hernandez dropped other singles such as Millionaria and Sola, which earned more than a million streams. This led her to sign a deal with the record label Virgin Music. Under the label, she released her most famous EP, Club Solita, in October 2021.

Since then, Nezza has collaborated with many artists, including Franny Arrieta, Noize, JS Beatz, Exel The Future, Rob Dymez, NSJ, Alix, and Merahki. Her Tenerte de Nuevo music video featured Trinidadian-American singer, Latenightjiggy.

Over the years, Vanessa has opened for many artists, including ¿Téo? at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, California, in October 2021. She performed at the Demon Jam in 2023 as well as on back-to-back music tours. Nezza has over 331K followers on Instagram and is also active on TikTok.

More about Nezza’s Dodgers game national anthem performance

Besides her Instagram post sharing her side of what happened at the Dodgers vs Giants game on Saturday, Nezza also shared a TikTok video. In it, she spoke teary-eyed and began by saying how she was “very shaken up and emotional,” while asking her followers to “bear with me.”

“I didn’t think I would be met with any sort of ‘no,’ especially because we’re in L.A., and with everything happening … I just could not believe when she walked in and told me ‘No.’ I just felt like I needed to do it,” Hernandez stated.

She reiterated that The Star-Spangled Banner was officially commissioned by the U.S. State Department in 1945. She noted that it was commissioned as part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s “good neighbor policy” to foster a healthier relationship with Latin American communities.

Vanessa Hernandez also condemned the ICE raids being carried out by the Trump administration across the USA. She mentioned being “proud of myself” for doing what she did, because “my parents are immigrants,” who have been “citizens” for a long time and had gotten “documented” early.

“I just can’t imagine them being ripped away from me. Even at this age, let alone like a little kid. What are they doing?” she asked on her TikTok.

Nezza added that she sang the Spanish rendition of the national anthem out of “love” and “good energy,” while also sending a message that breaking up families was unimaginable.

The Dodgers beat the Giants at the MLB final on Saturday by 5-4.

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