Country star responds to criticisms he 'murdered' national anthem at State of Origin: 'Head held high'

The Aussie country star who was accused of "murdering" the national anthem at the State of Origin has hit back at critics, saying his "head [is] held high".

Robbie Mortimer copped a wave of online criticism over his country-inspired rendition of the anthem ahead of Game One on Wednesday.

Some viewers were quick to pick apart his performance, claiming he sounded "off-key," as well as taking issue with his accent.

Watch the video above.

"Is it me, or was that rendition of the National Anthem at the #Origin a shocker?" journalist Peter FitzSimons wrote.

Another viewer said it "sounded like a combination of Brokeback Mountain and Toni Childs", while one declared, "The national anthem was just murdered live on national television to start the State of Origin."

Mortimer has now responded to the hate comments on Instagram, declaring he "sang the anthem, survived the internet."

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"An absolute honour to sing our national anthem at Australia's biggest sporting event in front of 80,000 proud and vocal Aussies and 5 million people on TV," he captioned a video of his performance.

"The overwhelming amount of love, kindness and encouragement I've received since walking off that field has far outweighed anything else. That's what I'll remember.

"So today I stand with my head held high, proud of the moment, proud of where I come from, and I wouldn't change a f---ing thing about it! 💪🏽

"Love will always drown out the noise. ❤️

He finished the post with a quote: "An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind"

Mortimer is an up-and-coming Aussie country star, with 55,000 followers on Instagram.

He is the nephew of NSW Blues legend Steve 'Turvey' Mortimer.

Last year, Steve Mortimer's daughter, Erin Mortimer, sang the national anthem at Origin Game Three. Her performance was met with overwhelming love and support online.

Mortimer is not the first person to cop backlash for his rendition of the national anthem at a State of Origin game.

In 2024, Australian Idol winner Dylan Wright also faced criticism after performing the anthem with an acoustic guitar, turning it into a pop rendition that left a bad taste in viewers' mouths.

"Dylan Wright butchering the national anthem. Love your voice mate, but just sing it properly so we can sing along! Stick to the damn timing and melody," fellow Aussie signer Ash Archer said at the time.

"Rate Dylan Wright but that was not it," another fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

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