Nelly Furtado may want to make like a bird right about now.
She may want to just get up and fly away.
The Canadian-born singer had the honor on Sunday night of singing her country"s national anthem prior to the NBA All-Star game, walking up to midcourt, taking a microphone… and totally butchering her rendition of "Oh, Canada."
Remember Lady Gaga"s Star-Spangled Banner performance at Super Bowl 50 the weekend before?
This was just like that. Except the total opposite in how it was received by the viewing public.
The artist chose to perform a far more melodic version of the song than most are used to, accompanied by a single flute throughout… which probably hurt her new more than it helped in the end.
Those in attendance in Toronto cheered, of course, but those behind their computers did not.
“O"Canada is an awesome song. No need to change the notes,” wrote one Twitter user, while another shared a photo of Klay Thompson’s ear bleeding and wrote that the shooting guard had just listed to Furtado sing.
A local sports reporter, Erin Hawksworth, meanwhile, sadly summed up the feelings of many listeners by writing:
"As a Canadian, I am embarrassed by what Nelly Furtado just did. Who signed off on that?"
Ouch.
Better luck next time, Nelly. Take a listen and a listen to this wayward attempt at honoring her country below:
