Singer Rachel Platten has broken her silence after her performances ahead of the Los Angeles‘ playoff matchup against the Minnesota Vikings drew backlash.
The Rams earned an emotional Wild Card victory following a devastating week in Los Angeles, where thousands of homes have been destroyed and 24 lives lost amid the ongoing wildfires.
And the franchise paid tribute to the victims of the wildfires and the firefighters who continue to battle the treacherous conditions, including performances from Platten.
After seven days of turmoil and tragedy, Platten performed her 2015 hit, ‘Fight Song,’ as a form of rallying call to the Los Angelenos before the playoff matchup.
Platten later struggled to keep her tears at bay at the end of her emotionally-charged rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Yet, a large number of football fans didn’t buy it with many accusing the singer of faking her tears.
The songstress, however, spoke out on her performances at State Farm Stadium on Tuesday, insisting the entire night had been emotional.
‘It was such an emotional night. It was so much bigger than me and the song,’ she told Billboard, speaking about ‘Fight Song.’
The choice of song had raised eyebrows with the track originally being featured on her second studio album titled, ‘Wildfire.’
However, Platten had changed a lyric in the first verse – ‘I might only have one match/ But I can make an explosion’ – to a more appropriate choice given the circumstances: ‘We might have been knocked down/ But I know we’ll keep going.’
‘I feel really incredibly grateful for the whole night,’ she added. ‘We can do so many things with tragedy. We can mourn together, and we can cry together — but then there are also times to be strong together.
‘What I felt on stage was, “May this song touch people like medicine, may this song be healing.” I did feel feel a reverberation and an echo in the stadium of that hunger for hope in the midst of darkness. Sometimes music can do what words can’t.’
Platten also addressed the performance via her Instagram stories Tuesday but failed to acknowledge the backlash.
The singer-songwriter chose to focus solely on the praise others were showering with as she re-shared their positive reviews to her platform.
Several users had taken to social media to accuse the singer and songwriter of ‘fake crying’ at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona – where Monday’s game was moved to due to the wildfires in LA.
‘Rachel Platten fake crying after the national anthem was comedy,’ said one on X.
Another asked: ‘Did that lady just start fake crying after singing the National Anthem?’
‘Rachel Platten should not do the National Anthem again and that dramatic cry in the camera….give me a break,’ wrote a third.
One user replied to that comment: ‘Glad somebody else noticed that “I need all the attention” moment’.
While another claimed: ‘FAKE TEARS FROM RACHEL PLATTEN SHES NOT EVEN FROM LA SHE GREW UP IN NEWTON MASS’.
Despite the fake-cry accusations, Los Angeles players were also moved by the moment as Platten sang the national anthem.
ESPN’s broadcast panned over Rams stars Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford, who appeared choked up on the sidelines, while head coach Sean McVay was caught looking glassy-eyed.
As a growing force of firefighters continue to battle the brutal conditions on the frontlines back in Los Angeles, the Rams honored their hometown heroes earlier in the evening.
Stafford, McVay and co. also wore special t-shirts, reading ‘LAFD,’ in the team’s colors as the players took to the field to warmup, while a moment of silence was held pregame to pay respect to the victims of the tragedy.
Before the teams took to the field to unite in the singing of the national anthem, Platten had performed a rendition of her 2015 hit ‘Fight Song,’ over the top of a montage showing first responders heroically battling the infernos.
Arriving at State Farm Stadium Monday evening, quarterback Stafford chose to make his own gesture as he donned a navy LAFD hoodie for his entrance.
He then went on to inspire his team to a shock 27-9 win over the Vikings after completing 19 of his 27 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns.
