Fergie has certainly been a hot topic this week after her now-infamous rendition of the National Anthem. Clearly, many twitter users weren’t a fan. But now, Fergie is speaking out.

“I’ve always been honored and proud to perform the national anthem and last night I wanted to try something special for the NBA,” she said to People magazine. “I’m a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn’t strike the intended tone. I love this country and honestly tried my best.”

According to one attendee, who was at the NBA All-Star Game where Fergie performed, “It actually didn’t sound so bad at first. Everyone was just trying to figure out what was going on. Like, was she about to break out into a different song? Then she started doing all those ranges and it just went downhill.”

“Players and celebs seemed surprised by her rendition of the anthem,” another source said. “After the performance she didn’t seem fazed.”