Charlotte Church Rejects Overtures To Sing For “Tyrant” Donald Trump

She took to Twitter to publicly turn down the gig on 20 January, saying: “Your staff have asked me to sing at your inauguration, a simple Internet search would show I think you're a tyrant. Bye.” To add insult to injury, she signed off her message with a pile of poop emoji symbols.

It appears to be turning into a right PR embarrassment for Trump – with no A-list name as yet signed up to perform. The likes of Celine Dion, Elton John, Garth Brooks and Kiss have all already turned down advances to perform at the inauguration in Washington DC.
In fact, the biggest name confirmed so far is America’s Got Talent runner-up, Jackie Evancho.

Meanwhile, British singer Rebecca Ferguson has also now turned down the offer to sing at the inauguration. The 2010 X-Factor runner-up said earlier this month that she would only do the gig if she was allowed to perform Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’, but that stipulation was dismissed by Trump’s team.

“I requested to sing Strange Fruit as I felt it was the only song that would not compromise my artistic integrity and also as somebody who has a lot of love for all people, but has a special empathy as well for African American people and the #blacklivesmatter movement. I wanted to create a moment of pause for people to reflect,” Ferguson said in a statement this week.
“I believe talent is a gift that should be used to heal the wounds of this world and make the world a better place to live in. As music is so powerful, I wanted to try and help educate the people watching of where division and separation can lead to if not corrected. My aim was not to cause contention…
“I’ve a lot of love for the United States. It’s a constant source of inspiration to myself, if not the whole world. I genuinely wish you all well and hope I will still get to sing Strange Fruit for you one day.”

While The Beach Boys have also confirmed they were asked to play at the gig, but a spokesperson said they still haven’t made up their minds about whether they want to do it or not.
“The Beach Boys have been asked to perform as part of the inauguration festivities,” a spokesperson for the band confirmed. “But no decision has been made at this point as to how or whether they will participate. We will let you know as soon as a decision is final.”