Shock and surprise reverberated around the Country music world this week when it was announced that Carrie Underwood would be singing ‘America the Beautiful' at Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20th. Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Lee Greenwood are also slated to perform at the Make America Great Again Rally at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C. on Sunday, which is no surprise at all. Rascal Flatts' inclusion has been somewhat eclipsed by Underwood's, however, which they must be pleased about!
Underwood issued a statement on Monday, saying she is “honoured” to be able to perform as Trump takes the oath of office on Monday at the U.S. Capitol. “I love our country and am honoured to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,” Underwood said in the 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.” Her inclusion has, typically, divided Country music and the wider community but here at Entertainment Focus we think it gives people a little insight into her current state of mind after a tricky post-pandemic period for the singer.
She Might Actually Believe the Unity Thing
Underwood's statement about ‘unity' and ‘coming together' might actually be something she believes in. America has been a divided nation since 2016 and her appearance on the bill could be a sign that she sees this a chance to be a good role model and display grace in troubled times, honouring the event and the occasion with the gravitas that it deserves.
It Doesn't Necessarily Mean She's a MAGA Supporter
I mean, it could, right? But it could also mean that she's putting the event and the historical nature of the occasion first above any political leanings. It doesn't help her much that the only other openly MAGA-supporting Country artists are people like Kid Rock and the increasingly unhinged John Rich of once disrupting, ‘love everybody' duo Big ‘n' Rich. Allying herself with such openly aggressive and divisive characters like those isn't the best of looks for Carrie but if you take her words at face value it is the occasion she is honouring and not the person.
So What if She Voted for Trump?
She has a point right? Isn't it time that America goes back to an age of ‘let's agree to disagree'? The ability to tolerate other views different than our own seems like it was left behind in an age long forgotten now. She might have different politics to you, she might see the world in a different way or want different things for her kids and she should be allowed to express that in an open way that garners respect from those with opposing views. Seems a bit like a pipe dream though and this is Donald Trump and Elon Musk we are talking about too, which muddies the waters a little because of some of their anti-social or anti-diversity views.
She Must Think Her Brand is Strong Enough to Survive
Underwood and her advisers must think that her brand and her fan base is strong enough to endure whatever backlash will come her way after making this decision. For someone who once released a song called ‘Love Wins' in which she sings, “Politics and prejudice/How the hell’d it ever come to this?” Underwood's decision has angered and upset her legion of LGBTQ+ fans who were proud of her 2012 stance on marriage equality.
“While I will always love and support @carrieunderwood, this account will not be covering her upcoming appearance at Donald Trump’s inauguration nor any other comments/appearances she makes in support of this convicted felon,” the Carrie Underwood UK account posted and other respected queer Nashville voices like journalist and broadcaster Hunter Kelly echoed these sentiments with simple statements like, ‘I’m not uniting with the people trying to eradicate me, Carrie.'
Underwood must feel that she can ride out this type of backlash in the same way that an artist like Jason Aldean has, tapping into other areas of her fanbase for support and finances going forward. Be careful though, that attitude has not worked for an artist like Brian Kelley (ex-Florida Georgia Line) so it remains to be seen how it will work for Carrie going forward.
She Thinks She's Bigger Now Than the Nashville Machine
MAGA-voices like John Rich are always tweeting and shouting online about the number of Trump-supporting Country artists who won't declare public support for fear of being ostracised by the Nashville labels, PRs and radio stations. Carrie clearly believes that her fan base and support is now big enough for her to operate outside of needing anything from the industry anymore. To be fair, she's been doing her own thing for a couple of years now, playing shows with Guns n Roses and not appearing at Nashville events like the CMA awards.
A bit like the fallacy that the BBC over in the UK is run by left wing, woke-supporting liberals, who knows what the political make-up is of the major labels and radio stations in Nashville? I suspect the focus for those institutions is more on the almighty dollar than it is on politics but it's clear that Underwood has stepped away from ‘playing the game' with them and believes that she can sell enough tickets, T shirts and streams going forward without them or without playing nice with the liberal side of the town.
The Future Remains Bright, Probably.
There have been some big industry voices supporting Underwood's right to chose. Whoopi Goldberg said, “I stand behind her. If I believe I have the right to make up my mind to go perform some place, I believe they have the same right. I have to support. It doesn’t mean I’m particularly interested. I won’t be watching, but that’s just me.”
Alyssa Farrah Griffin said she hopes we’re moving past a point where we “cancel people’s livelihood because we don’t like their politics.”“If you have a problem, you register your complaint by not downloading her songs and not going to her shows,” she said. “But, I also think from a business standpoint, it’s not a bad decision for Carrie Underwood.”
And there is the crux of the matter – what does this decision tell you about Carrie Underwood's belief in her own ability to make money going forward? It tells you that she's seen artists like Jason Aldean prosper with a largely southern fan base and so for every east or west coast supporter that she's lost and for every fan who believes in the sanctity of being able to chose your own gender, sexuality and identity there will be a replacement from the MAGA-leaning right of center.
Rascal Flatts must be laughing though, right, because with all the furore surrounding Ms Underwood they have gone completely under the radar with their decision to also appear and perform at the inauguration! ‘You do you' is a phrase that seems like a hard place to reach in 2025 when personal rights and freedoms seem to be under threat from an administration so deeply entrenched in its narratives and ideals – maybe what Carrie says isn't just PR BS and she honestly does think she could be a role model for unity but there will also have been intense business discussions wrapped up in this decision too and this industry leader and savvy business woman must think she'll come out the other side unscathed and even potentially better off than she was before, irrespective of the people and voices lined up against her.
