Canadian Singer Alessia Cara Booed After Forgetting National Anthem Lyrics
Popstar Alessia Cara's performance of 'O Canada' at a soccer match was met with boos from the crowd after she appeared to forget the lyrics and giggle.
Canadian singer Alessia Cara faced crowd backlash and social media criticism on Saturday after appearing to forget the lyrics to her country's national anthem during a pre-game ceremony in Montreal. The incident occurred before a soccer friendly match between Canada and Peru.
During the live televised broadcast of "O Canada," Cara, a Grammy Award winner, seemed to struggle with the words, singing off-key and eventually stopping to giggle into the microphone. The stadium's sound system attempted to compensate by playing the instrumental version of the anthem, but the damage to the performance was already done.
The broadcast captured reactions from the Canadian soccer team's lineup, with many players appearing bemused. In the stadium, some fans were visibly stunned by the unfolding events.
Social media platforms quickly filled with commentary on Cara's performance. Some users expressed strong criticism, with one commenter writing, "A task that school children manage daily is too complex for her. What an embarrassment." Another user stated, "She didn't just forget the words… that's not the melody." A more extreme reaction came from a third individual who suggested, "She should get her passport and citizenship stripped. This is a MAJOR FAUX PAS!!! SHAME!"
However, some social media users defended Cara, pointing to the 2018 change that made the anthem gender-neutral as a potential reason for its increased complexity and difficulty in memorization. One supporter noted, "It can happen. Stress can be a big factor sometimes. At the end, the whole stadium started chanting the anthem, it was beautiful."
Cara, who was born in Mississauga, Ontario, has not yet publicly addressed the incident. Her social media accounts on X and Instagram have not featured any posts following the performance.
In contrast to the pre-game controversy, the soccer match itself concluded successfully for the national team. Jacob Shaffelburg scored two goals, securing a 2-0 victory for Canada under coach Jesse Marsch.