Carrie Underwood: When Perceived Common Values Crack
Plus: The Road to the GRAMMYS & Dream Wardrobe turned Wardrobe Nightmare
In This Issue
List of 18 performers from Donald Trump’s 2025 Inauguration events
Carrie Underwood and why fans lose it when perceived common values crack
Premium: Road To The GRAMMYs update of a dream wardrobe turned wardrobe nightmare
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Carrie Underwood: When Perceived Common Values Crack
Music fans and the media are voicing strong opinions on country singer Carrie Underwood’s decision to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 21st. She is the only female act who was promoted across all major media outlets for the inauguration ceremony, rally, and three inaugural balls that Trump attended. But she was not the only female to perform.
Not one media outlet that I could find listed all the performers in the event details, so I checked a dozen or so articles to curate this list of 18 acts. If I missed someone please leave a comment or DM me so I can update the list.
The roster for the ceremony, rally and three balls included:
Carrie Underwood
Chrisette Michele
Christopher Macchio
Lee Greenwood
United States Naval Academy Glee Club
United States Marine Band
Kid Rock
The Village People
Billy Ray Cyrus
Liberty University's Praise Choir (private religious school)
University of Nebraska–Lincoln Choir (public school)
Jason Aldean
Rascal Flatts
Parker McCollum
Gavin DeGraw
Nelly
Snoop Dogg
Soulja Boy
Carrie and Chrisette Michele were the only two female solo acts on rosters that I found. Some of the guys caught heat for performing, but how intense was it for Carrie and Chrisette?
First, I searched “Chrisette Michele” on Substack and found a couple of notes (which are like Facebook or Instagram posts) scattered in the search results with opinions of her attendance. They focused on how Chrisette will get canceled while Snoop Dogg, Nelly, and Soulja will skate because they are men. This is a whole other article in itself and is true if history proves right. This is not Chrisette’s first rodeo; she performed at Trump’s 2017 inauguration with an international backlash. Here is what she said about it in a 2023 interview on Peachtree TV.
Then I searched “Carrie Underwood” and scrolled through too many notes to count with very strong opinions, both criticizing and praising Carrie’s attendance. One reoccurring statement from critics was “you shouldn’t be surprised” to all those who voiced surprised at Carrie’s decision to perform.
Honestly, I was surprised. Not because I thought Carrie was a Democrat, but because her greatest hits tell the story of someone whose values don’t align with those of the new president.
“Before He Cheats” is the anthem for women who were tired of shrinking in the face of lies and infidelity. Instead of blaming yourself for his bad behavior, you call the cheat out on his actions and carve the message loud and clear into the seats of his souped-up four wheel drive. It held the man accountable by making a public statement that other women can see as a warning — smashed out headlights, slashed tires and all. And next time he cheats, it won’t be on you because you dumped his sorry ass.
“Jesus Take The Wheel” is a tale of a woman driving at night with her baby in the car who has a near-death experience on the icy road. She tells God she will change her ways if Jesus takes the wheel and saves her and her baby. When both are unharmed with a second chance at life, she apologizes for how she’s lived her life and commits to a new path. We’ll assume it’s one of loving thy neighbor, an all-inclusive word.
Then, we take a look at Trump’s values and behavior. A lot of women have made their public statements/warnings to Trump’s infidelity and (worse) sexual crimes. Here’s a list of affairs and sexual misconduct. According to the Washington Post, Trump told over 30,500 lies during his first presidency, and was convicted of 34 felony counts related to hush money paid to hide his infidelity and payoffs from voters during his 2016 campaign. The January 6 committee findings are said to implicate Trump in trying to overturn our free elections. He never apologizes or changes his behavior, but rather points blame and “fires” those who disagree with him.
Many music fans are now perplexed or feel betrayed, with streaming numbers down the week after her performance. To use her voice to celebrate a serial cheater, sexual assaulter, liar and unapologetic felon goes against what many of Carrie’s fans believed to be common values as reflected through her songs.
This isn’t the first time that songs and a musician’s personal actions have left fans feeling duped. Take for instance John Denver, America’s sweetheart “country boy” who wrote love songs for his wife and dreamt of going home with sunshine on his shoulders. It was almost inconceivable when word got out that John was an angry drunk who beat his wife. It was so hard to swallow that people chose to ignore it or deny it. (I have it on good authority from one of his wive’s close friends that it was sadly all too real.)
So why do fans feel so angry or betrayed by someone they don’t know personally?
According to Civic Science studies, 20% of U.S. adults claim musicians’ beliefs and lyrics aligning with their own values is ‘very important’ – with a total of 59% calling it at least '“somewhat important.” The younger you are, the more important this value alignment is.
Furthermore, 3-in-10 surveyed respondents claim they are more likely to purchase/download music over just streaming if their values are perceived to align.
The National Library of Medicine published a study on the tie between 1,480 participants’ moral values and their musical choices. Two conclusions stood out:
Women scored higher than men in Care, Fairness and Purity foundations. We also found that individuals with more central “Binding and Ingroup values” preferred more popular and mainstream artists suggesting that these individuals are more likely to be influenced by social norms and group opinions. This is consistent with the idea that music preferences play a role in social bonding, as shared musical tastes can indicate similar values and dispositions.
Values associated with ethics of tradition and hierarchy were more accurately predicted by lyrics features than values related to virtues of equality and compassion.
So, unless you scroll through an artist’s social media feeds or interviews on the regular and find political and ethical statements, what they sing on playlists and the radio are most likely how you perceive their personal values. This includes who they are willing to sing for when money, press for a new song, and/or public opinion are at stake. BTW, performers do not typically get paid to perform at the inauguration ceremony, but do have expenses covered.
I also doubt there are many fans who first looked at Carrie’s song credits to find that “Before He Cheats” was co-written by Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear. And “Jesus Take The Wheel” was co-written by Brett James, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson.
That’s more common than the passive listener may realize. As the MAChronicle reported in 2023, 39% of Billboard Top 100 hits did not list the performer as a songwriter in the credits. That said, we still expect artists to sing songs that align with their values and, as the case may be, our values. As I learned in Cher’s new memoir, choice is not always an option in what a singer records. More on that in a future “Hidden Tracks” article for upgraded subscribers.
Before jumping into my rocky road to the GRAMMYS, I’d like to say that this article is not a smear campaign against anyone who performed at the inauguration or their fans. It is simply a look behind why people are so angry and disappointed that an artist they admire would perform for a person or organization in opposition to their perceived common values. It’s a case study in how your brand (message, look, feel) needs to clearly align with your words and deeds or you risk career fallout. Especially if you’re a woman.
If this topic resonates with you, you may also like:
Issue: Men Behaving Badly
Podcast: Carré of Queen Kwong & Why “The Rockstar Must Die”
Thea’s Rocky Road To The GRAMMYS.
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This chronicle is all about going from a dream wardrobe to a wardrobe nightmare. Plus a “what would you do” poll. Read on!