On Sept. 23, 7-year-old Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja performed the American national anthem before a game between the L.A. Galaxy and the Seattle Sounders, which stunned the soccer enthusiasts attending the match.
???? Club legend, @MaleaEmma. pic.twitter.com/MU4Yp6c6wa
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) September 24, 2018
According to ABC News, the Galaxy announced that Malea had won to sing the national anthem at the Sunday game on social media on Wednesday, Sept. 19.
The Galaxy told the outlet that it was the first time they picked a national anthem singer through hosting a social media contest.
In the video, the master of ceremony introduced Malea Emma as a “tiny but mighty” performer at the Major League Soccer opening.
“I was thinking that I cannot do anything wrong because it’s a really special song to America,” Malea told ABC.
She also said that she practiced every night singing to a lamp with her dad coaching her before the Sunday performance.
Nice meeting you @iamzlatanibrahimovic! Break a leg! ???? Who's coming to @lagalaxy game this afternoon? .
.#maleaemma #lagalaxy #socialgalaxy #zlatanibrahimovic #zlatan #zlatan500 #NationalAnthem #NationalAnthemsinger #kidsinger #childsinger #amazings… https://t.co/9P0JTmjvJh pic.twitter.com/T1midJU8jR— Malea Emma (@MaleaEmma) September 23, 2018
Even Zlatan Ibrahimović, who plays forward for the LA Galaxy, has retweeted a clip of Malea’s national anthem performance, captioning “MVP of the game!”
MVP of the game! https://t.co/eZ2WdQsVN7
— Zlatan Ibrahimović (@Ibra_official) September 24, 2018
“The Star-Spangled Banner” was previously performed by Fergie at the NBA All-Star game in February 2018, which has drawn various controversies regarding her rendition.
From The Epoch Times
