Babies and toddlers are notorious for their shyness. They may be outrageous and sing at the top of their lungs at home, but as soon as they walk into a room full of strangers – even family members at a holiday party – they clam up and pretend they can’t speak. If parents do not take an active role in training their children to act courageously, they will do what most children do when given the opportunity to shine.
Drake Grillo, on the other hand, is not your typical kid. He agreed to perform in front of a crowd of thousands at a recent Syracuse Women’s basketball game, then proceeded to sing the national anthem at the top of his lungs. The crowd was enthralled by the boy’s ability to sing the national anthem despite the fact that he is only three years old. It’s no surprise that the women’s team went on to win by almost fifty points.
Watch little Drake go to the court with a big microphone in his palm in the video. He then appears in front of 6,000 people at the Carrier Dome and performs the national anthem for the crowd. Not only does he perform a flawless rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, but he does so as a three-year-old. Many people in the United States don’t even know all of the words to the national anthem, let alone three-year-olds.
The child completed the song with a burst of notes after going through the entire song. And when he was finished, the Syracuse audience gave him a standing ovation and an avalanche of applause.
When Drake Grillo finished singing the national anthem, members of Syracuse’s basketball team walked over to congratulate him. They raised their fists and fist bumped the child to demonstrate their appreciation for his voice and performance.
Drake may not have realized the enormity of his achievement, but the adults in the audience knew. Drake’s performance was, as it turned out, a stadium record breaker. In the Dome’s entire existence, he was the youngest individual to ever perform the national anthem.
Chelsea, the boy’s mother, told Syracuse.com, “I just think he’s too tiny to know how big of an issue it is.” “We just try to keep it peaceful for him and not get too worked up about it.” We don’t ask him whether he’s nervous, so he might not consider it. I don’t think he understands what it means to be nervous yet.”
Drake not only sings well, but he also enjoys performing. He, too, is a die-hard sports lover. And he is really proud of the United States.
Drake uses toy microphones at home to practice singing. The Star Spangled Banner is always his favorite tune. But that wasn’t the first time he’d performed it at a sporting event. He sung the anthem for a minor league baseball team in Auburn throughout the summer.
Watch the video of the kids right here: