Carrie Underwood and Nelly Experience Decline in Streaming Numbers Following Trump Inauguration Performance

Carrie Underwood and Nelly’s Streaming Numbers

Carrie Underwood and Nelly’s streaming figures significantly decreased after their performances at Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Underwood’s rendition of “America The Beautiful” at the U.S. presidential swearing-in ceremony gained traction online after she faced technical issues: the backing track failed to play, forcing Underwood to sing a cappella.

Despite this situation, her streaming numbers saw a 6 percent decline on Inauguration Day (January 20).

Her music accumulated 1.46 million streams per day, down from 1.55 million the week prior, according to Luminate. Billboard.

Both artists experienced a slight uptick in digital download sales, although neither crossed the 1,000 download threshold that day.

Nelly and Audience Response

Nelly, who performed at President Trump’s inaugural Liberty Ball, labeled the experience an “honor” despite facing backlash, also witnessed a drop in his audience numbers. On inauguration day, his songs were streamed 1.54 million times, down from 1.63 million the previous week.

Following Underwood’s performance, fellow country artist Jason Aldean supported her, stating on Fox and Friends: “First of all, this song is difficult to write anyway. When you’re supposed to sing along to a track, and it doesn’t play, it’s a big step and a professional move on her part, so I thought it was great.”

Throughout her career, Underwood has remained discreet about her political opinions but faced backlash online due to her collaboration with Trump. She also refrained from endorsing a candidate in the November presidential election.

Underwood attracted criticism upon the announcement of her performance at the event, with Whoopi Goldberg defending her choice but noting she would not be watching.

Political Developments Post-Inauguration

After being officially sworn in, Trump quickly initiated a series of executive orders, including one that recognized only two genders: male and female.

This policy sparked significant backlash, including from Lucy Dacus, who pledged $10,000 towards transgender surgery for followers and encouraged similar contributions from others.

During the inauguration, Elon Musk delivered a speech expressing delight at Trump’s win, followed by a controversial gesture that many compared to a Nazi salute. My Chemical Romance’s Frank Iero condemned this action, stating: “Fuck this guy and every single person supporting this shit or wasting their breath trying to defend it,” before adding, “Your true colors shine through. #SmashHate.”

Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe also criticized Musk as a “fucking asshole” for his gesture, leading Reddit communities to ban mentions of X in protest.