Singer’s teary response after ‘challenging’ anthem performance

State of Origin national anthem singer Emma Tomlinson has spoken out about her “challenging” performance on Wednesday night in an emotional video. The 25-year-old singer, who performed the anthem ahead of Game Three at Brisbane ’s Suncorp Stadium, explained she was battling through technical difficulties in what she’s described as the “scariest situation”. Singer song-writer Emma Tomlinson said she’s “grateful” over the experience and support she’s received. Her defence comes after country star Robbie Mortimer was accused of “murdering” the national anthem during his performance ahead of Game One in May. “My anthem tonight, I had no sound, my in-ears weren’t working, and I really did rely on the arena sound and [on] those who were singing with me,” said Tomlinson in an Instagram Story. Despite her incredible performance, it appeared the music was playing out of time with Tomlinson’s voice. “So ... to be able to get through that, that was very challenging,” she said as she held back tears. Tomlinson became emotional over how grateful she was for the experience and the “unconditional support” she has received despite the audio issues she had to battle through. “I was just so grateful to have done that, and I really also hope that you all had an amazing night. Speaking on Today Extra this morning, the Sunshine Coast local put it down to a “once-in-a-lifetime blue moon error that happened”. She explained the sound check went smoothly but the minute she went on stage her sound pack completely cut out. The singer tried to signal as best she could to the audio team but in front of a crowd of 52,000 NRL fans, the show had to go on. “I just had to rely on the whole arena, how the timing was, and just wing it ... Somehow by a miracle I wasn’t out of tune at all,” she laughed. Tomlinson kept it professional despite the technical difficulties she faced during her live performance. Tomlinson, who was diagnosed with autism as a child, is an ambassador for Autism Australia and Autism Queensland. “Singing for me, especially in school, was such a sanctuary for me to rely on,” she told the Today Extra hosts about her experience. “I used to not be able to speak properly, I had a stutter, I was monotone, I really struggled with my words, and I was really, really shy,” she explained. “So being able to use sound and frequencies to really train my ears and also train myself to be very loud and proud and use my ability to be who I am today.”