Carrie Underwood to Perform at Inauguration: Is It A Business Decision?

by Julian Spivey

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Carrie Underwood, an award-winning country music singer, announced on Monday, Jan. 13, that she would perform the patriotic anthem “America The Beautiful” at President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration next week.
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I’m disappointed in her. I’ve never been a fan of much of her music, but I thought she was better than this.

And let’s get something straight before we get too far into this … Underwood has every right to choose to perform at the inauguration. I would’ve thought this had the inauguration been for Kamala Harris, so I must believe it now.

But I’m still disappointed. This country has never had a President who brings as much vitriol to the position of President of the United States and does so much to sow discord and division among the citizens of this country. And, while Underwood may view performing at the inauguration as nothing more than a patriotic honor, it is in the minds of many, including me, an endorsement of President-elect Trump.

It shows that Underwood doesn’t care about the immigrants he demeans. It shows she doesn’t care about mocking people with disabilities. It shows she doesn’t care about a woman’s right to choose. It shows she doesn’t care that President Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting a woman. It shows she doesn’t care that he incited a riot that attempted to overthrow the government and led to deaths and injuries. It shows she doesn’t care that he’s a felon. This list could go on and on.

I thought Underwood was more intelligent than this. But maybe there’s something strategically clever behind her choice? Perhaps she’s being a shrewd businesswoman? If that’s the case, it makes it all the more disgusting, but it could revitalize her career.

You may be asking yourself, does Underwood’s career need revitalizing?

For a decade, Underwood was arguably the biggest star in country music. From 2005 to 2016, she registered 17 No. 1 hits on either the Billboard US Country or Billboard Country Airplay charts. She also won eight Grammy Awards, 16 Academy of Country Music Awards, and nine Country Music Association Awards. She was both an American Idol and America’s Sweetheart.

And then it all went away. She hasn’t had a solo No. 1 country hit in nearly a decade (since 2016’s “Church Bells”). This is the same artist whose every single song released between her 2005 debut, Some Hearts, and 2016 (25 singles) was either a No. 1 or a No. 2 hit.

Her most recent album, Denim & Rhinestones, released in 2022, failed to top the Country Albums Chart—the only one of her career not to. The three singles all failed to crack the top 5, and the last two failed to crack the top 10.

It seemed mainstream country music had passed Underwood by.

But you know, a trend I’ve noticed in country music over the last few years is that if you get yourself “canceled,” you will have an uptick in sales and interest from the mainstream country music crowd, of which the majority come from red states/voters.

We saw this when Morgan Wallen was “canceled” for saying the “N-word.” His album sales went through the roof. They still are. We saw this when Jason Aldean released the controversial “Try That in a Small Town,” which immediately became his first cross-over hit and went to No. 1 on the overall Billboard Hot 100.

You just wait and see. Over the next couple of weeks, Underwood’s sales of past albums and singles will increase. People will buy her records simply because of her decision to perform at Trump’s inauguration and because they will assume she’s being “canceled” and “bullied by the left.”

There’s no real thing as “cancel culture,” especially when it comes to country music. Your sales and overall numbers go through the roof when you’re perceived as being “canceled” in country music.

It might literally pay for Underwood to perform at Trump’s inauguration. It’s just a shame she doesn’t have a new album or single ready to drop — though many suspect she will at some point this year.

The most obnoxious part of Underwood’s decision is a line in her statement explaining why she decided to perform at the inauguration.

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.”

Unity?!?

There hasn’t been a less unifying President in modern U.S. history than Donald Trump. Whenever he opens his mouth, the chances of unity are pushed further out to sea.

There is no unification when it comes to bigotry, which plays a significant role in his Presidential goals and decisions.       

Sorry to burst your pipe dream, Carrie.