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 v Fiji 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.
Based in the US, Kavanaugh was set to come home to New Zealand and perform in Palmerston North on August 3, but now feels “so vulnerable she can’t return to New Zealand”..
