Spanish singer Marta Sanchez causes controversy with rendition of national anthem

SPANISH singer Marta Sanchez surprised fans by adding her own lyrics to Spain’s national anthem at the Zarzuela Theatre in Madrid.

Famous for its lyricless form, Sanchez chose to sing her own lyrics to the anthem’s beat, which was composed so soldiers could march to a beat.

“I return home to my beloved land, which saw my heart born,” she sang as the video went viral on social media.

Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy congratulated Sanchez: “The immense majority of Spaniards felt represented. Thanks, Marta.”

But the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) said Sanchez was ‘playing politics with symbolic elements’.