TALLAHASSEE — It's not exactly Marian Anderson singing in front of the Lincoln Memorial. But Star Swain's rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner at the national landmark was the sort of life-changing performance few who've heard it will soon forget.
Swain,
a former Florida A&M Marching 100 trombonist and vocalist, has been
thrust into the digital national spotlight after an impromptu a capella rendition of the National Anthem has gone viral, being viewed by millions on Facebook and other social media.
Swain,
34, said she and her family were in Washington, D.C., on vacation two
weeks ago with Marcus Henderson, minister of music at her church, and
his family, along with Godby High assistant principal Benny Bolden and
his family.
They were inside the Lincoln Memorial, when and Henderson started talking about the superior acoustics inside the landmark.
“I said, ‘I could break out and start singing The Star-Spangled Banner,'" Swain recalled Monday. That was enough to get Henderson and Bolden to start urging her on.
At
first, Swain said she was too nervous. When she started singing in
front of other tourists, she didn’t realize Henderson had
started videotaping. Unlike Anderson's historic 1939 concert
performance, Swain's was apolitical and impromptu.
“I was in that moment. I just closed my eyes and started singing,"
she said, her voice still giddy with excitement. "Marcus was videotaping
the whole time.”
She couldn't believe the response of the tourists who heard her sing.
“People
just started saying, ‘That was awesome, thank you,’“ she said. “One
lady had tears in her eyes. I was kind of glad it was over. It was like a
sigh of relief.”
That was only the beginning. Later that day, the
video was posted on YouTube. A few people saw it, but nothing
spectacular. It wasn't until the following Monday that the world began
to take notice.
“Someone put it up on their Facebook page, and the rest is history,” said Swain.
