Carrie Underwood has spoken out about her decision to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration next week.

On Monday, it was announced that the former American Idol winner will perform America The Brave just before Trump takes his presidential oath at the US Capitol in Washington DC.

Announcing the news, the Before He Cheats singer said: “I love our country and am honoured to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event.

“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.”

The news was met with an immediate backlash – including from some of Carrie’s most loyal fans, who questioned why she would choose to align herself with Trump in the current political climate:

Country singer Lee Greenwood and opera singer Christopher Macchio were also revealed to be performing at the event by the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, the Village People – whose songs YMCA and Macho Man have become staples of Trump rallies – have confirmed they’ll also be performing at events around the inauguration.

This includes a rally in Washington DC scheduled for the day before the actual inauguration, and a presidential ball on Monday.

“We know this won’t make some of you happy to hear, however, we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics,” the group told their Facebook fans on Monday.

“Our song YMCA is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost.

“Therefore, we believe it’s now time to bring the country together with music which is why Village People will be performing at various events as part of the 2025 Inauguration of Donald J. Trump.”

In 2023, it was reported that the Village People had sent Trump a cease-and-desist letter in order to try and block him from playing their music at his political rallies.