Last month, poor Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas was roundly mocked across the planet for her rendition of the American national anthem at the NBA All Star game. She’d sung the important ditty in what was described as an “inappropriate” jazz style. In fact, her performance – though raw and rather out of tune – was basically done in the same R&B manner that dominates the world of singing: breathy and melismatic.
Significantly, Fergie thought there was nothing wrong with it at the time – “Let’s play some basketball!” she cried. But the next day she apologised, insisting that she loved America. I’ve never seen a hugely famous pop star say sorry for sounding bad. I was sad to see that Fergie is not exempt from the constant fluctuations in self-confidence that dog the lives of the rest of us. But then I realised: this is what makes Fergie great. “I did my best,” she said to her dissenters. That was unusual.
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