Ingrid Andress is opening up even more about the aftermath of her tragic Home Run Derby “Star Spangled Banner” performance.
Last year, Ingrid Andress attempted beat out Fergie for the worst national anthem performance of all time with her Home Run Derby spectacle (Fergie still wins), and the public quickly began to flame Andress for the performance.
This was quite the national anthem performed by Ingrid Andress 😅 pic.twitter.com/i6Diwe9DYW
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) July 16, 2024
It was brutal…
Although it was not her best moment, Andress quickly admitted that she was drunk during the performance, owned up to the fact that this was her rock bottom, and checked herself into rehab. After canceling her tour, taking time away from the spotlight and focusing on herself, Andress returned triumphantly to sing the national anthem at the Colorado Avalanche game, redeeming her abilities during this performance.
While the national anthem might not be the song that fully showcases her vocal ability, you must admire her for facing her fears and performing the patriotic tune again.
After Andress returned to the spotlight, she also began doing a handful of interviews, opening up about her emotions following the Home Run Derby and sharing how she’s grown since leaving rehab. Andress admitted that she felt like a punching bag after the performance and faced public embarrassment more than anything after the fact.
“I felt like America’s punching bag. I became a way to unite America. It was like, ‘At least we can all agree that this girl botched the anthem.’ I’ll be the punching bag for sure, but I didn’t commit a crime. It felt very extreme for what the situation was.”
However, she also shared that she felt very supported by her musical colleagues after sharing that she was seeking help, even noting that Carlos Santana reached out to her and sent her flowers.
“Had never spoken to him before in my life! And he asked my management like, ‘Hey, can I get Ingrid’s number?’ I was like, ‘Hello?’ I was like in rehab… But he was so kind and so supportive and was like, ‘If you ever want to do a song, you know where to find me.’ And he sent me flowers.”
In her latest exclusive interview with People Magazine, Andress continues to open up about how she healed during her time away from the spotlight, sharing that she cried most days during her time in rehab. Not only was she processing the humiliation she felt after the performance, but she found that her drinking had spiraled out of control after parting ways with her boyfriend and manager, which she used alcohol to numb the hurt from that relationship ending.
After her wake-up call with the national anthem performance, she was able to identify the root of her problems and began to heal, noting that she cried most days in rehab, allowing herself to be raw and vulnerable.
“I felt so raw. I was like, I don’t think this is the best time to be talking about this because I’m crying every day. But it ended up being such a healing time because I actually had the space to completely fall apart.”
Once Address accepted that making mistakes was okay, she recharged herself and healed. One final part of her time away from the spotlight included sitting down and watching the train wreck of a national anthem performance. But Andress made sure that before she watched it, she worked to understand who that girl was first.
When that time came to watch the footage back, Andress said that all she could think during it was:
“Oh, that poor, poor girl!”
Andress said that looking back on it, even though it was humiliating, she’s glad she had such a public moment that urged her to get help. The national anthem performance was a slap in the face, and sometimes, that’s what you need.
Check out her latest single before you go.
