Carrie Underwood and Village People confirm they will be performing at Trump's inauguration
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- Donald Trump is set to be sworn in as the next president of the United States on January 20.
- Carrie Underwood and Village People have confirmed they will be performing at the event.
- Toby Keith and 3 Doors Down played at Trump's first inauguration in 2017.
President-elect Donald Trump is set to be inaugurated on January 20, and his team has enlisted the help of some celebrity acts for the ceremony and related events.
The events are slated to run for four days, starting on January 18. The inauguration has drawn donations from companies including Google, Amazon, and Meta.
Here's a look at the celebrities who have confirmed they will be performing, as well as those who played during his first inauguration in 2017.
A representative for the inaugural committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
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"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," Carrie Underwood said in a statement to Business Insider on Tuesday. "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 is set to perform "America the Beautiful" at the inauguration ceremony, a Presidential Inaugural Committee spokesperson told USA Today.
The "American Idol" alum has largely tried to stay out of politics throughout her career.
"I feel like more people try to pin me places politically," Underwood told The Guardian 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 and put a bow on it, like it's black and white. And it's not like that."
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On Monday, Village People, the '70s disco band known for hits like "Y.M.C.A." and "Macho Man," announced on its official Facebook page that it would be performing at "various events as part of the 2025 Inauguration of Donald J. Trump."
"We know this wont make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics," the group's post read. "Our song Y.M.C.A. is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost."
The official website for the Inaugural-Eve Ball, which is set to take place on January 19, features a photo of the group under a banner that says "Confirmed Performances."
The band's decision to perform at the inauguration events is a reversal of its stance from two years ago.
In 2023, the band's manager sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump's lawyer, requesting that Trump stop using Village People's music and likeness at his events, following an "unauthorized" performance by a cover band at Mar-a-Lago.
"The performance has, and continues to cause, public confusion as to why Village People would even engage in such a performance," Karen Willis, the band's manager and wife of lead singer Victor Willis, wrote in the letter. "We did not."
A representative for Village People did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.
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Some A-listers have declined to perform at previous Trump events. Elton John and David Foster were among the celebrities who publicly declined to perform at Trump's inauguration in 2017.
The "Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration" concert in 2017, held a day before Trump was sworn in as the 45th president, included performances by country star Toby Keith and rock band 3 Doors Down, among others.
Artists, including Neil Young and Rihanna, have also spoken out against their music being played at Trump events.
