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Did This 11-Year-Old Girl Sing the ‘Worst National Anthem Rendition Ever’? Hear it for Yourself

Harper Gruzins worst National Anthem

Image source: YouTube

Here at TheBlaze, we’ve featured our share of unfortunate National Anthem performances. This latest one, however, might just outdo them all.

Eleven-year-old Harper Gruzins, a “singer-songwriter from Coppell, Texas,” took the field Saturday at the Major League Soccer match between Dallas and Los Angeles. What followed is a nearly three-minute rendition that simply must be heard to be believed.

To the audience’s credit, no one booed her, but the looks on the faces of some of the fans — not to mention the players — say it all.

Deadspin flat-out declared Gruzins’ performance “the worst national anthem rendition ever,” and explained their decision to feature it, despite her age:

Normally, we wouldn’t post something that made fun of a little kid, but this particular child publicly refers to herself as a “singer-songwriter” and any kid who has that much pretension at age 11 deserves to be knocked down a few notches.

What’s your take? Are we being too hard on her, or is this in fact the “worst ever”? Tell us below in the comments.

(h/t Radar Online)

Comments (154)

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  • steveh931
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:34pm

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru2BYd3c90w&feature=player_detailpage

    Roseanne Barr still holds the number one of all time.

    Report Post » steveh931  
    • KickinBack
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:50pm

      This is the manufactured artist generation. I’ll bet she had her HWLGGSI (How Would Lady GaGa Sing It) bracelet on.

      Give the kid a ribbon and perhaps years from now, she’ll be grateful that it was only a soccer game.

      Report Post » KickinBack  
    • afishfarted
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 7:23pm

      wellsir, She is DEFINATELY the product of the “you can do no wrong” parenting. If THEY won’t be truthful with her, then I don’t see a problem with this public “dressing Down”. Too bad too

      Report Post »  
    • RightUnite
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 7:41pm

      I was just going to post the cow, but you beat me to it!

      Report Post »  
    • Gizzy
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 9:46pm

      I totally agree with you!

      Report Post »  
    • keithh1981
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 10:07pm

      I agree. Rosanne personally made a mockery of our anthum as she made a mockery of herself late last fall at the OWS protests. At least this girl tried to put on a good performance with the best skills she had even though not much. This is more on the shame of the event staff not screening talent and not knowing how and when to use talentless individuals to perform acts/songs for a crowd. A national anthem is a sacred part of our country so therefore the event staff should be blamed. Rasanne still beats her because at least this girl didn’t make it into a mockery.

      Report Post »  
    • Shiroi Raion
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 11:28pm

      Rosanne was the worst I’ve ever heard.
      Steve Tyler was the second worst.
      Sorry, little girl, but you can’t sing – third worst.

      Report Post » Shiroi Raion  
    • SCREW-WINDOWS
      Posted on July 30, 2012 at 12:00am

      That was a crime was she possibly overdosed on her Ritilin ?

      Report Post » SCREW-WINDOWS  
    • Uranium Wedge
      Posted on July 30, 2012 at 1:43am

      Not even close to being the worst. Why the hell does the Blaze post this crap? Pointless.

      Report Post » Uranium Wedge  
    • huufarted
      Posted on July 30, 2012 at 1:47am

      All I can say is WTF was someone thinking when they turned this girl loose at the mic ???

      Report Post »  
    • wynnsjammer
      Posted on July 30, 2012 at 5:17am

      You know what makes this so sad is that, she honestly thinks she’s “Talented”. Most likely she has “Two” parents who have told her for years just how wonderful of a singer she is. Again where in a place and time where “Children” have to be “Catered” to so we don’t “Hurt” there “Feelings” with to much “Criticism”. God forbid we “Knock” our children down a few pegs and actually make them realize that they can’t do “Everything” and welcome them into the “Real” world. Maybe her “Talents” if any, lie in another “Category” but we all know it’s not a “Professional” singer. And how dare she place herself in front of “Thousands” of people a “Desecrate” the “National Anthem”.

      Report Post »  
    • ConservativeWithABrain
      Posted on July 30, 2012 at 9:20pm

      Come on, how can you possibly be so cruel to this girl? She’s eleven years old, have you no souls? I’m sure… *clicks play* Sweet Jesus this is awful.

      To be fair, I think she’s hitting every note she wants to. She just wants to hit a sequence of terrible notes, with a rhythm that matches nothing anyone would voluntarily listen to. Comparing this to Lady Gaga is unfair to Lady Gaga; comparing this to Milli Vanilli is unfair to Milli Vanilli (Not the guys who were really singing, I mean Milli Vanilli’s real CD they released, with them really singing). @kickinback is a moron if he thinks this sounds like anyone who has ever been paid to sing. (And is probably a moron even if he doesn’t think so). This is truly awful.

      I feel like a bad person, but this eleven year old needs to be put in her place. And her place does not have a microphone nearby.

      Report Post »  
  • Dirty Harry
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:31pm

    Harper, thank you thank you thank you!!! See, we have a mouse problem in our house, and 3 seconds into your screaching irritating rendition, I saw mice exit every nook and cranny and head for the front door. All except for 1, which ran headlong into the wall – I think it committed suicide.

    Report Post »  
    • loriann12
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 7:13pm

      I didn’t get past Ooooooooooh, sayyyyy. before I thought I was going to have a seizure and had to stop it. and I’m only partially joking.

      Report Post »  
    • Twobyfour
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 9:49pm

      loriann12, same here, just a second later. Not mentioning that my cat freaked out and for the first time in her life, sunk her teeth into my calf–you’d have to know my cat to reckon how extraordinary that is. Never seen a cat so scared.

      Report Post » Twobyfour  
  • tjuiceski
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:31pm

    Come on BLAZE. You do so much, good….why publicly embarrass this young girl. It takes lots of guts to sing in public. Pull this article please. This isn’t what Jesus would want you to do.

    Report Post »  
    • LIBSALWAYSLIE
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 7:00pm

      This girl need to know the truth. She is no singer and she has no talent for it. The event organizers should be ashamed for allowing this to happen. She should not be introduced as a singer, she is not. The truth Lives Here!

      Report Post » LIBSALWAYSLIE  
    • feverpitch
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 7:17pm

      You’re right. Jesus would have told this little girl, singing is not one of the talents I gave you.

      Report Post »  
    • otoko
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 7:38pm

      Jesus would of told her the truth! It does take guts to sing in front that many people though and there is where she should get credit.

      Report Post »  
    • Restored One
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 8:10pm

      Remember, there are no losers. Everyone gets a participation trophy. Ugh!

      Report Post »  
  • 00gabooga
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:28pm

    Thank God it happened at a soccer game, so no one who matters heard it.

    Report Post » 00gabooga  
  • chips1
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:26pm

    This proves that I can win “America’s Got Talent”.

    Report Post »  
    • Richardoky
      Posted on July 30, 2012 at 12:22am

      I hope you are not getting her mixed up with Jackie Evancho.

      Report Post »  
  • qpwillie
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:23pm

    Technically, she had one slightly flat eighth note in the entire song. Even in the high octave part, she was spot on every note. Her voice is pretty powerful. Her technique needs work but hey, she’s eleven.

    I say go for it, Harper! The potential is there.

    Report Post » qpwillie  
    • jeffile
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:43pm

      Now, if someone would only teach her about respect for the proper tempo.

      Report Post »  
    • LIBSALWAYSLIE
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 7:02pm

      QP, what?? You have no musical ability, CLEARLY!! She was flat, then sharp, then flat again. She was all over the place with no ability to nail the note. QP, you have no knowledge of music what-so-ever.

      Report Post » LIBSALWAYSLIE  
    • Kupo
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 7:16pm

      She was off-key on far more than one note.

      Report Post » Kupo  
    • Twobyfour
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 10:08pm

      QP, ‘s time for your check-up.

      Report Post » Twobyfour  
  • Soundstorm
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:23pm

    Sounds like one 11 year old who’s aware of what the future holds in store for her generation in the age of Obama. You’ve got to admire the way these Texans suck it in listening to her. Hank Hill would say, “Oh…….my gawd!”

    Report Post » Soundstorm  
  • Chet Hempstead
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:23pm

    I found videos of her from when she was nine and ten. She seems to be getting progressively worse, but even her most semi-competent performance doesn’t indicate that she has the chops for the anthem. Apparently she has been singing at open mic nights at local music venues and no one had the heart to tell her not to mistake the polite applause for a sign that she is good. I’d like to know the name of the guy who made the decision to put her out there that day. That’s who really deserves to paraded in shame before the nation, not the kid.

    Report Post »  
  • cayuse
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:22pm

    kaydee i agree, but she could be roseanne’s daughter.

    Report Post »  
  • ByDawnsEarlyLight
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:21pm

    I hold the adults responsible for this debacle. Who stood in the room while this girl was practicing,( I am assuming there was practice/rehearsal involved) and said “you go girl that was awesome!”, because she is going to read the reviews and ppl out there are going to tell it like it is. Her performance was terrible. There was no voice controll, ability to reach or maintain notes, and god forbid a little talent wouldnt have hurt either! I got five bucks says she is the niece or granddaughter of someone connected to one of the field organizations, and shame on everyone who let that kid go out and humiliate herself, she is going to be kicking herself over this for years. Counseling may even be in order, for her and everyone within earshot. :)

    Report Post » ByDawnsEarlyLight  
    • teebubba
      Posted on July 30, 2012 at 2:30am

      As fate would have it my number one niece is a 14 year old anthem singer who has been performing publicly for several years. She sings it like people who do it for a living and doesn’t try to get fancy with it. She started out singing at local events and she now gets invitations to sing occasionally at minor league hockey games etc. Her parents do not push her to do it but she loves the opportunity to sing a capella.

      Report Post » teebubba  
  • JUSTANOTHEROPINION
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:19pm

    I feel so sorry for this little girl. Her parents should be slapped and the stadium should have auditioned her before allowing her to embarrass herself. You don’t get medals for just showing up and this is a perfect example. Some might say it would be cruel, however, somebody should have pulled the plug on that one and pretended it was a technical glitch, then tell her parent to delicately let her know that singing is not her forte.

    Report Post »  
    • Soundstorm
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:27pm

      I would also hold the people at the audition who gave her the go ahead. Uh…..was there an audition?

      Report Post » Soundstorm  
  • sillyfreshness
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:13pm

    You try to sing with no music in the background and see how easy it is. She was trying to give it her all, but at her age her voice couldn’t perform. It’s probably not a good idea to get a little kid to sing in big sports event. It usually won’t turn out too good.

    Report Post » sillyfreshness  
    • RRFlyer
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 7:27pm

      It was her choice to have no musical accompaniment Don’t use that as an excuse

      Report Post »  
  • NewLife56
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:12pm

    Bad? For 11 years old I thought she was outstanding..go America

    Report Post » NewLife56  
  • TJexcite
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:09pm

    She sings like any normal 11 year old but, got a trophy to add to the collection for just participating.

    Report Post » TJexcite  
  • rick phin
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:09pm

    If Simon Cowell ,that Brit say she was bad.would we tear him a new one like the Brit’s did to Romney?

    Report Post »  
  • The Jewish Avenger
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:09pm

    There is dragged out… and then there is this….

    But she’s 11 and if it was my kid, I’d say better luck next time and tell everyone else who sat and watched to STFU.

    E…lev…en… Grow some and suck it up some people try… better than what half of America does… sits back and critiques without EVER doing anything other than… Hey, I have taste… thats all that matters….

    Tell if a person always starts out bad, how do you ever expect them to learn?

    But I know this’ll be a master twitter bate session….

    Am I bitter? about attacking an 11 year old?

    Damn Straight!!!!

    Report Post » The Jewish Avenger  
  • yanki161
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:08pm

    OOOOOouch! She should have training before taking on something like this.

    Report Post » yanki161  
  • voicecheck1
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:04pm

    actually it was perfect just a bit slow she was trying hard to sing it like a grownup she just needs to wait for bigger lungs shes only 11.

    Report Post »  
  • the58thstate
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:03pm

    harper your a cute hun but singing is not your calling.

    Report Post »  
  • kyuss
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:01pm

    WOW!!!! Hahahahahaha.

    Report Post »  
  • Tri-ox
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 5:57pm

    This is bad – really bad, BUT – at least she tried – I think she feels it, but she just can’t sing. It is sad that this girl was chosen, but it’s the feeling behind the performance that really counts.

    Report Post » Tri-ox  
  • kaydeebeau
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 5:57pm

    Sorry, Roseanne’s still gets the “worst rendition” title

    Report Post » kaydeebeau  
  • DoomsdayProphet
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 5:52pm

    Treason Hang her.

    Report Post »  
  • pma_guy
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 5:49pm

    My non-comment, sings volumes.

    Report Post » pma_guy  
  • randy
    Posted on July 29, 2012 at 5:45pm

    Sorry, had to stop the video 4 seconds into it. I’ll take your word it was bad.

    Report Post » randy  
    • scuba13
      Posted on July 29, 2012 at 6:08pm

      That’s how I feel when I see Obama on t.v. lying to everybody.

      Report Post » scuba13  
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