They said over the loudspeaker that she was “tiny but mighty,” but wow did they undersell it. Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja sang the national anthem at the LA Galaxy game over the weekend. She’s 7 years old. She’s 3-foot-9, or about half a Joel Embiid. She hummed the first line to herself beforehand to make sure she knew it. Then she freaking belted and you knew anything was possible.
Hear it for yourself. But know at this point there’s no going back. You’ll never be the same.
There’s so much power here. There’s Whitney here. There’s Christina here. Malea Emma didn’t seem nervous by the players around her or the 25,000 in attendance. She had personality and attitude and it showed. (h/t Washington Post)
The best part of the video, by the way, apart from the performance, is the reaction from the players. Watch their faces during round two. Priceless.
