Martha Reeves is responding to criticism over her widely shared performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the inaugural Women’s Professional Baseball League game last weekend. In an interview on Fox 2 Detroit, the Motown legend said the backup singers were responsible for the performance people heard.
When asked if she wanted to do the song again, Reeves said she did not need a redo and insisted, “I didn’t do that. Those girls were singing, didn’t you know that?” She also said the singers were trying to make money and added that she did not have a chance to rehearse with them.
That claim came after TMZ posted rehearsal video shortly after the performance, according to Stereogum. Reeves said she was proud of what she did and that she had not taken the microphone and “hit that girl.”
She then sang another version of the anthem on the broadcast, though it was not much different from the original performance, according to the report.
