The famous country artist and former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood will perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20. She is 41 years old, and she will sing “America the Beautiful” with the Armed Forces Choir and the US Naval Academy Glee Club [1].
Underwood said she was honoured and humbled to be asked to perform and that she feels driven to answer the call for peace and look to the future. Her act is set to happen after Vice President JD Vance takes the oath of office and before Trump takes the oath of office as president ².
Underwood has always kept a neutral stand on politics, but her choice to perform at the inauguration has caused some controversy. In a 2019 interview with The Guardian, Underwood said she wanted to stay out of politics because public debate can be very divisive.
Because Underwood has spoken out against Trump in the past, her act at the inauguration has also caused a lot of discussion. During the 2017 Country Music Association Awards, she and Brad Paisley, another country star, made fun of Trump. They did a cover of Underwood’s popular song “Before He Cheats,” but they changed the chorus to say “before he tweets” ².
Even though Underwood has made fun of Trump in the past, she has said that her music is not meant to make political comments. Underwood says that her song “The Bullet,” which some saw as a comment on gun control, was really just about how tragedy affects people.
Underwood is getting ready to sing at the inauguration. People will likely both praise and criticise her performance. Some might see her choice as a sign of unity and pride, while others might see it as a change from what she said before, that she wasn’t interested in politics.
