Ingrid Andress told her fans that she had been struggling both personally and professionally in the year leading up to her disastrous rendition of the National Anthem at the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby on Monday night (July 15).

Why Is Ingrid Andress Going Viral?

Andress delivered a weak, off-pitch and generally lackluster version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the event, which rapidly went viral as various internet users lampooned it as the “worst National Anthem performance of all time.”

Why Did Ingrid Andress Botch the National Anthem?

Andress has not yet addressed the fallout from her performance, so we don’t know why it went off the rails. Her posture during the song seemed to make it clear that she went into the performance with little confidence and knew it was going poorly.

The country singer had been missing in action for about a year prior to the performance, after launching a very promising country career that saw her score a No. 3 hit on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart with her 2019 debut single, “More Hearts Than Mine.” A 2021 duet with Sam Hunt titled “Wishful Drinking” also reached No. 4, but subsequent singles from her Good Person album sank without charting, and Andress had been absent from the spotlight since 2023.

In a message to her fans via her email list before her return to the spotlight, Andress said she had been going through a rough patch.

“I had to part ways with some people who’ve helped me make a name for myself,” she shared. “It sent me into what my country America calls ‘depression,’ but I’m not a doctor.”

Andress added that she was “at the lowest point I’ve ever been,” so she decided to return to where she grew up in Colorado to recharge and get a new perspective.

What Is Ingrid Andress Doing Now?

Andress has a new single dropping on July 24 titled “Colorado 9,” her first new music since she departed the spotlight.

She is slated to perform in Nashville on Wednesday night (July 17) ahead of that new release.

Sterling Whitaker is a Senior Writer and Senior Editor for Taste of Country. He focuses on celebrity real estate, as well as coverage of Yellowstone and related shows like 1883 and 1923. He’s interviewed cast members including Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, Sam Elliott and Harrison Ford, and Whitaker is also known for his in-depth interviews with country legends including Don Henley, Rodney Crowell, Trace Adkins, Ronnie Milsap, Ricky Skaggs and more.