Ingrid Andress recently opened up about her botched national anthem performance at the 2024 Home Run Derby, saying it was the "worst moment" of her life.
Shortly after the now infamous performance, the 33-year-old country singer took to social media to reveal she was "drunk" while singing and was checking into a facility to "get the help I need."
Andress told Rolling Stone the ordeal helped her turn things around.
"I am sorry you had to witness that horrific rendition of our nation's anthem," she said. "Whoever that was is not an accurate representation of who I am at all. You got to see me in my worst moment, so now, everything from here will be great."
Andress said she "felt like America's punching bag" in the aftermath of the performance.
"I became a way to unite America. It was like, 'At least we can all agree that this girl botched the anthem,'" she said. "I'll be the punching bag for sure, but I didn't commit a crime. It felt very extreme for what the situation was."
Andress admitted to drinking after her soundcheck, a routine she admitted was not unusual for her at the time.
She said alcohol had never affected her performances before and she enjoyed the "numbness" it provided. During her performance, the four-time Grammy nominee said she was completely "blacked out" and missed the pitch in her in-ear monitor, causing her to lose her cue to start singing.
"If you don't start on the note that it gives you, you're screwed," she said. "It was my voice fighting with the tuner, which is a losing battle."
After initially believing her performance went "OK," Andress later realized otherwise. Despite her team's efforts to protect her from online backlash, she chose to speak out on her own.
"I needed to let people know that it's not just this one incident that I messed up. 'I need to get better. I'm at such a low place, I'm not gonna lie about it,'" she said.
Hours later, Andress flew to a rehab facility, where she spent over a month in treatment for substance abuse while also processing a breakup and the end of her professional relationship with her former manager. She spent six months living quietly in her native Colorado after leaving rehab.
"I feel like I've gotten to know myself again, which is probably the biggest gift of all of it," Andress said. "I learned to not ever let your past dictate what you can do in the future. Sometimes it takes a little public humiliation to turn your life around."
Andress reemerged in the spotlight Feb. 28, performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche hockey game, according to People. Days later, she released her new single March 3, "Footprints."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.