Carrie Underwood sings cappella at Trump inauguration after music audio malfunction

United States music star Carrie Underwood delivered an unexpected a cappella rendition of "America the Beautiful" at President Donald Trump's second inauguration ceremony on Monday, following technical issues with her pre-recorded backing track.

When the backing music malfunctioned shortly after Trump's oath and inaugural speech, Underwood found herself standing in the US Capitol Rotunda amidst a murmuring audience. Only a brief segment of the introduction played before the sound system failed.

Following a prolonged quiet moment, she communicated silently with a technician wearing headphones, then decided to proceed without accompaniment. Addressing the gathering, she said, "If you know the words, help me out here."
Wearing a light grey sheath dress, Underwood began the patriotic song and received vocal support from the Armed Forces Chorus and attendees, including former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, departing Vice President Kamala Harris (Trump's 2024 electoral rival), and technology leaders Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Tim Cook of Apple, and Elon Musk.


Upon finishing the performance, Underwood acknowledged the audience's participation, exchanged handshakes with outgoing President Joe Biden, and crossed over to greet newly inaugurated President Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

The ceremony, which marked Trump's inauguration as the 47th US president, was conducted indoors due to Washington DC's cold weather conditions.