Yahoo Lifestyle Carrie Underwood Sings A Cappella At Trump's Inauguration After Technical Glitch
Carrie Underwood overcame a technical snafu Monday as she delivered her much-buzzed-about rendition of “America the Beautiful” at President Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony.
The “American Idol” veteran and country star was slated to be joined by the Armed Forces Chorus and the United States Naval Academy Glee Club. However, she was forced to act quickly when an orchestral track meant to accompany her performance appeared to cut out after a few seconds.
“You know the words ― help me out here,” Underwood said after a crew member alerted her of the audio malfunction. She then launched into the song a cappella as many attendees ― including former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris ― joined her in singing along.
Watch Carrie Underwood perform “America the Beautiful” below.
Many were impressed by the eight-time Grammy winner’s ability to improvise under pressure.
“Carrie Underwood is a true professional. She didn’t let the unfortunate tech failure keep her from a pitch perfect singing of ‘America The Beautiful,’” one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “No matter what anyone’s politics might be, she was awesome.”
Added another: “Carrie Underwood pulled off a Mean Girls Jingle Bell Rock moment.”
Others, however, offered a more critical take.
“shoutout to the gay who pulled the plug on the audio before carrie underwood sang,” one person quipped, alluding to the pushback the singer received from many members of her LGBTQ+ fanbase upon agreeing to the performance.
Underwood has notably steered clear of discussing her political views in interviews. Though she expressed her support for same-sex marriage in 2012, she has also appeared to back certain conservative beliefs, most notably in 2020 when she liked a video on X posted by right-wing podcaster Matt Walsh, in which he denounced COVID-19 mask mandates for children.
Last week, she appeared to preemptively dismiss criticisms of her decision to perform for Trump in a statement issued to The New York Times and Variety, among other outlets.
“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,” she said. “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.”
