'I'm just a proud American': 11-year-old mariachi singer shrugs off racist backlash to his NBA national anthem performance

Pint-sized powerhouse: Sebastien de la Cruz sings the U.S. National Anthem before Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Tuesday

Sebastien De La Cruz, an 11-year-old mariachi sensation, was honored to give his rendition of the national anthem before Game 3 of the NBA final in San Antonio Tuesday, but the touching performance set off a torrent of racist comments targeting the boy online.

The San Antonio native has become something of a local celebrity after performing mariachi ballads on NBC's American's Got Talent last season, but nothing has prepared him for the wave of negativity that engulfed him after his appearance at the AT&T Center.

Sebastien was booked to sing the Star Spangled-Banner as a last-minute replacement for Hootie and the Blowfish’s Darius Rucker .

During the performance, Sebastien appeared before a large crowd dressed in an ornate gray and black mariachi outfit. His clear, strong voice soared and filled the arena, and in the end he pumped his fist in triumph as the audience clapped and cheered.

On Tuesday night, however, Twitter lit up with users outraged that the Hispanic singer was allowed to perform the national anthem before the basketball game.

'Why they got a Mexican kid singing the national anthem,' wondered Daniel Gilmore.

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High honor: Sebastien was booked to sinn the anthem as a last-minute replacement for Hootie and the Blowfish¿s Darius Rucker

Inspired: The 11-year-old performer appeared in an intricate mariachi outfit and hit all the big notes



Triumphant: Sebastien De La Cruz concluded his 2013 performance by pumping his fist to the sounds of the audience clapping and cheering but his performance was criticised on social media

Another user by the name Andre Lacey fumed: 'How you singing the national anthem looking like an illegal immigrant.'

Lewie Groh sounded a similar note, asking on Twitter: 'Why is a foreigner singing the national anthem. I realize that's San Antonio but that still ain't Mexico.'

And so did Matt Cyrus, who tweeted after De La Cruz's performance: 'Who let this illegal alien sing our national anthem?'

The 11-year-old boy, however, remained unflappable in the face of blatant bigotry.

'When I started mariachi, I knew there was gonna be a lot of politics,' he told the local station KENS5 Wednesday. 'And I'm just a proud American, to be honest.'

Sebastien, who has been roundly praised for the way he has been handling the controversy, later explained to CNN that those who have been saying negative things about him are entitled to their own opinion.

'It's not hurting me. It's just your opinion,' the pint-sized class act said.



Nasty remarks: Twitter lit up with negative comments expressing outrage that Sebastien was allowed to perform the U.S. anthem

Blatant bigotry: Some users implied or even outright stated that the 11-year-old San Antonio native was an illegal immigrant from Mexico

Vile remarks: Many of the racist comments were complied and posted on a Tumblr account meant to shame their authors

The 11-year-old has been singing mariachi ballads since he was 5 years old, but his big break came last year when he appeared on the televised talent completion in hopes of winning a cash prized to pay for his ailing brother's surgery.

Sebastian, nicknamed 'the boy with the golden voice,' made it all the way to the semifinals before being cut.

The boy's father, Juan De La Cruz, said his son faced racism when he was on America's Got Talent as well, but the family have not taken it personally.

'I think people reacted the way they did because Sebastien was wearing his mariachi outfit,’ said Mr De La Cruz. ‘But it doesn't make sense to listen to those people when most of the feedback we have gotten is positive. San Antonio supports Sebastien.'

Class act: Sebastien handled the controversy in an admirable way, telling the media that he is a proud American born and bred in San Antonio, and that anyone who speaks ill of him is entitled to his or her opinion



Singing sensation: Sebastien has been performing mariachi ballads since he was 5 years old, earning him the nickname 'the boy with the golden voice'

Big break: Sebastien (center) became famous after appearing on NBC's America's Got Talent, where he went as far as the semifinals

Nearly 30 racist tweets expressing outrage that Sebastien, who happens to be a natural-born American citizen and a San Antonio native, was allowed to sing the anthem, were collected by the Public Shaming blog on Tumblr.

The compilation of offensive tweets has quickly drawn the attention of national media outlets and inspired other Twitter users to come to the boy's defense.

'That little 10 year old mariachi National Anthem singer has more talent and grace than the combined racist pig idiots on Twitter,' wrote Mexican-American cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz.

Amanda Aguirre tweeted: 'Why are ppl so upset over a Hispanic singing the national anthem. He's probably got more roots in here than most "Americans."'

And the American Latino Museum also voiced its support for the 11-year-old singer, writing: 'We're proud of the 11-year old San Anto-native Sebastien De La Cruz for his amazing performance last night!'

Even San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro took to Twitter to address the controversy, writing: ‘Sebastien de la Cruz, your rendition of the national anthem was spectacular! Don't let a few negative voices get you down.'

Pervasive racism: Sebastien's father, Juan De La Cruz (left), said that his son faced similar remarks while appearing on the televised talent show

Passionate defense: The backlash against Sebastien has inspired Twitter users to voice their support for him while denouncing his critics as bigots and haters



Mature well beyond his 11 year, the young singer also addressed the firestorm, tweeting to his followers: ‘Please do not pay attention to the negative people. I am an American living the American Dream. This is part of the American life.’

In a brief press conference on Wednesday, De la Cruz said that those who speak ill of him known nothing about him, nor the fact that his father served in the U.S. Navy for a long time, Fox News Latino reported.