Marla Kavanaugh's rendition of God Defend New Zealand has drawn the ire of many rugby fans.
Marla Kavanaugh's rendition of God Defend New Zealand has drawn the ire of many rugby fans.
Anthem singer Marla Kavanaugh has cancelled a concert in her hometown of Palmerston North as she’s too scared to return to New Zealand, according to a new statement from her stepfather Malcolm Hopwood.
Soprano singer Kavanaugh’s performance of the New Zealand national anthem at the All Blacks vFiji match in San Diego last month was labelled “one of the worst ever” - but in the weeks since then, her family says the vitriol has only gotten worse.
In a joint statement sent to the NZ Herald, Hopwood and the singer’s mother Kathi Craig say their daughter is “devastated” by the hate against her and even fears for her life.
Anthem singer Marla Kavanaugh's mother Kathi Craig MNZM and stepfather Malcolm Hopwood have shared a statement.
“Despite the positive reception she received from the crowd in the stand and New Zealanders at the after-match function, more than 50,000 Kiwis, in the privacy of their own homes, attacked her performance,” the statement read.
“Over the days that followed they continued to attack her personally, her family and then went on to threaten her life and her safety on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and other social media outlets.”
Based in the US, Kavanaugh was set to come home to New Zealand and perform in Palmerston North on August 3 alongside her mother, but now feels “so vulnerable she can’t return to New Zealand”.
“She is devastated by the onslaught of hate mail, threats to her safety and is afraid for her life,” her parents write.
“We are devastated at the reaction which went far beyond expressions of opinion about her classical voice, but instead entered the realm of vitriol, hate and accusation. We fear we’ll never see our daughter here again.
“She’s a proud New Zealander and loved returning home for concerts and charity work here often with her twin sister, Marissa,” Craig said.
“Until Megan Alatini, who we so appreciate, spoke up about the impact that unnamed personal attacks can have on people in the public eye, no one sought to align themselves with her and what she was going through.”
Soprano Marla Kavanaugh has strong Palmerston North ties.
“I just wonder sometimes why it is that we’re so quick to mock and belittle and pull down.”
Kavanaugh has performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall, in Russia and Europe, and starred in the Edinburgh Tattoo in 2022.
Former anthem singer and Newstalk ZB host Tim Beveridge earlier spoke of how difficult it is to perform “unaccompanied and live in front of a huge crowd and televised audience.”
