Carrie Underwood feels she didn’t have ‘the same respect’ as Beyoncé during inauguration performance
Carrie Underwood performed “America the Beautiful” after Donald Trump was sworn in as president. (JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Carrie Underwood reportedly feels that she was not given “the same respect” as Beyoncé during her inauguration performance this week.
The country music superstar sparked backlash from her queer fans and LGBTQ+ allies after being confirmed as one of the performers at President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday (20 January). Even Ariana Grande liked a “shady” post about the fellow singer following her performance of “America the Beautiful”.
The “Before He Cheats” hitmaker encountered a few hiccups during her rendition of the track popularised by Ray Charles in 1972. Although usually held outdoors, the inauguration was moved inside the U.S. Capitol Building due to cold weather and also faced technical difficulties.
The band that was meant to accompany Underwood did not play, and a backing track cut out shortly after it started. In the end, the singer was forced to sing a cappella and asked the onlookers to sing with her. She said: “You know the words – help me out here.”
After performing a few verses of the patriotic song, Underwood shook hands with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance before exiting. An anonymous source told DailyMail.com that she was reportedly upset about the lack of “stage or platform” to sing on at the event.
“Carrie was dissatisfied with her performance at the event, primarily due to the limited space she was given, which left her feeling cramped and uncomfortable,” the source told the outlet.
“Her anxiety was high throughout the performance, and she felt that she was not afforded the same level of respect or admiration that previous performers, such as Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, had received.”
However, a second source did add that the star “will eventually laugh about it and take it for what it was, but she is disappointed that it wasn’t more of a moment as the moment she was searching for got altered with the technical difficulties”.
Beyoncé, who last year gave permission to Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris to use her track “Freedom” in an official Harris-Walz campaign advert, performed the national anthem at President Barack Obama’s 2013 inauguration. Meanwhile, Lady Gaga performed the same track, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, at President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration.
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