MUSIC

Singers Charlotte Church, Rebecca Ferguson react to Trump invites

Jayme Deerwester, USA TODAY

With 10 days to go before Donald Trump's inauguration, the entertainment roster is still sparse, with only Jackie Evancho, the Rockettes, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Talladega College Marching Tornadoes confirmed to perform.

British singer Rebecca Ferguson says she will not be performing at Donald Trump's inauguration.

On Tuesday, British singers Rebecca Ferguson and Charlotte Church officially turned him down.

Church, a classical/pop singer from Wales who rose to fame with her version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Pie Jesu, tweeted at the president-elect wondering why his inaugural committee had even approached, given that "a simple Internet search would show I think you're a tyrant."

Meanwhile, Ferguson, the runner-up from the seventh season of Britain's The X Factor, said she is officially not participating, given that the committee wouldn't accommodate her one demand: that she be allowed to sing Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit. The song is a condemnation of the lynchings of African-Americans in the late 1930s, based on a poem by Abel Meeropol.

In a statement postedto her website Tuesday, Ferguson explained, "I wasn't comfortable with the song choice made on my behalf, and although I'm very blessed to have a gift that gives me amazing opportunities, as a mother and an artist, I had to defend my stance. That is why I made the decision to sing Strange Fruit when I was invited. 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."

The bottom line: "There are many gray areas about the offer for me to perform that I'm unable to share right now, but I will not be singing," Ferguson said.