Despite the controversies, drama, and probability of a career backlash, Chrisette Michele will bring her soulful talents to President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration as a performer.
According to the NY Daily News, Michele reached a deal to sing a week ago, but her team kept it under wraps to prevent a week of backlash, especially from African-Americans. This result was evident with Jennifer Holliday, who backed out as a performer, citing “a lapse of judgment,” after receiving death threats and a lot of negative comments on social media.
As for Chrisette, the word is she was summoned by Trump’s team to perform the song “Intentional” with singers Travis Greene, Jonathan McReynolds, and Tye Tribbett; she previously sang with all three on BET’s “Celebration of Gospel.” Plans fell through when two of the three singers reportedly backed out.
Nonetheless, Michele committed to staying on if she could perform R&B songs. She will join a light list of performers which includes Country artist Toby Keith, Lee Greenwood, 74, 81-year-old Motown singer Sam Moore (of “Sam and Dave” fame) and rockers 3 Doors Down.
Michele, who is now independent after parting with Motown Records, is remaining quiet about the performance, but the social media backlash is already in full motion (see it here).
The question is, is this really for a check or is Chrisette working on the bigger picture, which is uniting people? We can’t tackle hate with hate even if it’s painful or uncomfortable, that will only lead to disaster. Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to uniting people, and the unfortunate part about this whole ordeal is it’s largely our people tearing Michele down.
I’m not saying anyone is wrong for the way they feel, you should feel, but you must have compassion and not judge others based on your views.
Let’s be unique, let’s stay the course, let’s do it together, and most importantly, please don’t stifle art for your own social agenda; especially if you’re not out their taking action to bridging gaps.
Sing Chrisette!
Founder and Creator of Singersroom.com and IncredibleWork.com. Follow me on Instagram at @gary.gentles.
