Carrie Underwood has confirmed that she will be performing at President-elect Trump's inauguration next Monday. "I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event," the country star said in a statement. "I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future." Underwood, who will sing "America the Beautiful," is a bigger star than any of the performers at Trump's first inauguration, Variety reports. The highest-profile performer in 2017 was America's Got Talent runner-up Jackie Evancho.
Underwood rose to fame in 2005 after winning the fourth series of American Idol. She has remained largely apolitical, apart from condemning cruelty to animals, the Guardian reports. "I feel like more people try to pin me places politically," she told the newspaper in 2019. "I try to stay far out of politics if possible, at least in public, because nobody wins. It's crazy. Everybody tries to sum everything up."
The group behind Trump's favorite campaign song will also be performing at inaugural events, NBC News reports. Lead singer Victor Willis said Monday that the Village People will play several events, including at least one where Trump will be present. "We know this wont make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics," he said in a Facebook post. YMCA, he said, "is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost." (The song, which was released in 1978, hit No. 1 for the first time in November.)
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