Charlotte Church latest to turn down Trump gig

It’s just nine days until his inauguration on 20 Jan and president-elect Donald Trump is still searching for artists willing to perform at the ceremony. The latest to turn him down is Charlotte Church, and the Welsh singer and recent Skinny cover star did so in kickass fashion last night on Twitter. “Your staff have asked me to sing at your inauguration,” she wrote, “a simple Internet search would show I think you’re a tyrant."

She’s not the first star to brutally turn down Trump’s gig. When rumours began to circulate that Elton John might be performing – Trump is reportedly a huge fan – the Rocket Man made his position clear in an interview in the Guardian: “I'm not a Republican in a million years. Why not ask Ted fucking Nugent? Or one of those fucking country stars?” Turns out they don't want to play either.

British singer Rebecca Ferguson famously did accept, with one proviso: that she can perform Strange Fruit, the protest song that Billie Holiday made her own with her spine-chilling recording. Ferguson has since rescinded her offer, however. "There are many grey areas about the offer for me to perform that I'm unable to share right now, but I will not be singing," she said. "Due to circumstances beyond my control concerning the offer to perform at the Inauguration Concert, I was thrown into the middle of a political arena last week." 

Similarly, Moby also brilliantly threw down the gauntlet to Trump, saying he’ll DJ if the president-elect does one thing: “I was just asked by a booking agent if I would consider DJing at one of the inaugural balls for Trump,” he wrote on Instagram. “I guess I'd DJ at an inaugural ball if as payment Trump released his tax returns.”

Like Ferguson, he suggested an agitating playlist unlikely to go down well with the president-elect. “I would probably play Public Enemy and Stockhausen remixes to entertain the republicans. I'm still laughing.”

Hahahahaha, I was just asked by a booking agent if I would consider djing at one of the inaugural balls for #trump... Hahahahaha, wait, Hahahaha, really? I guess I'd DJ at an inaugural ball if as payment #trump released his tax returns. Also I would probably play public enemy and stockhausen remixes to entertain the republicans. I'm still laughing. Hahahaha. So #trump what do you think, I DJ for you and you release your tax returns?

A photo posted by moby XⓋX (@moby) on Jan 9, 2017 at 8:52am PST

Delightfully, Moby went on to create a hypothetical playlist of songs he would play, including Public Enemy’s Fight the Power, Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name, and perhaps most apt, Green Day’s American Idiot.

Listen to Moby’s Trump Inaugural Ball playlist below: