All the Artists Who Won’t Perform At Donald Trump’s Inauguration

Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration will take place Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C., but so far, the president-elect has had some difficulty assembling a star-powered lineup for the ceremony.  

Over the last month or so, more and more musicians have publicly declined to perform — even those who Trump has praised or have a previous relationship with the president-elect.

In preparation for the inauguration, here’s a handy list of everyone who won’t perform for the president-elect.

Andrea Bocelli

The classical singer was one of the first names to emerge as an inauguration performer. In early December, PEOPLE reported he would sing a duet with young America’s Got Talent star Jackie Evancho, who has confirmed she will sing the national anthem. But shortly after, Bocelli’s team officially announced he was pulling out of the festivities, reportedly fearing backlash from Trump’s critics and political opponents.

Elton John

Elton John’s classic hits like “Tiny Dancer” and “Rocket Man” were consistently played at Trump campaign rallies (the songs almost always earned mention in long feature stories), and the president-elect himself was known to watch old John concerts on his plane. A member of Trump’s inaugural committee told the BBC in late November that the artist would perform, but John, who fundraised for Hillary Clinton, quickly shot down the rumor.

Céline Dion

According to The Wrap, Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn reportedly promised Trump he could land Céline Dion as an inauguration performer. Dion, however, will not perform on Jan. 20 and Wynn’s reps denied any attempts were made by the businessman to get her on board. “Mr. Wynn was not asked to book specific performers for the inauguration, nor did he ever a make a commitment to find specific performers,” a rep said. Dion is scheduled to play at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Jan. 20.

Kanye West

West may have gotten Trump to sign the president-elect’s TIME magazine cover, but he won’t be in Washington, D.C. to sing for the former reality television star. “No, No. Kanye and Donald are good friends,” Tom Barrack, chairman of Trump’s presidential inaugural committee, told CNN. “Donald is a great admirer of Kanye, as we are all, but he is not performing at the inauguration.”

Garth Brooks

Brooks, a country superstar, was initially open to playing in Washington. “It’s always about serving. It’s what you do,” Brooks told TMZ on Dec. 1, 2016. However, two weeks later, the “Friends in Low Places” musician rescinded his interest, according to The Wrap.

Rebecca Ferguson

The British X-Factor alum seemed ready to perform at Trump’s inauguration, but any deal fell apart after she insisted on singing “Strange Fruit.” An intensely political song made famous by Billie Holiday’s 1939 rendition, “Strange Fruit” is a haunting protest against the lynching of African-Americans. “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,” the singer said in a statement in January.

David Foster

The award-winning music producer was rumored to play a pivotal role in organizing the inauguration and recruiting some of his star collaborators, but Foster quickly denied the story. “I was invited to participate and I politely declined,” Foster told PEOPLE in a statement. “I have no idea where this story came from.”

Charlotte Church

The award for most emphatic response to playing Trump’s inauguration goes to classical singer Charlotte Church, who responded to Trump himself directly on Twitter. “A simple Internet search would show I think you’re a tyrant,” Church tweeted at the president-elect, topping it off with a handful of poop emoji.

KISS

When cornered by TMZ about whether KISS would play Trump’s inauguration, Gene Simmons’ wife Shannon Tweed shouted “no!” and said that the group had “politely declined” the offer. Simmons, for his part, said that the band would be touring Europe at the time anyway.

Moby

In addition to the inauguration ceremony itself, Trump’s team also needs to line up DJs and performers for the various inaugural balls to be held in Washington, D.C. Moby wrote on Instagram that he had been approached to DJ one of them. Like Rebecca Ferguson, he made a very specific demand. “I guess I’d DJ at an inaugural ball if as payment #trump released his tax returns,” Moby wrote on Instagram.

Idina Menzel

The Tony-winning actress wasn’t necessary asked to perform at the inauguration, but she won’t do it anyway. Asked by Vanity Fair about Trump’s problems finding talent for Jan. 20, Menzel called it “karma, baby,” and added Trump should perform himself. “He probably thinks he has a great voice; he thinks he does everything great.”

Rockettes/Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Amidst all these denials and refusals, the Trump inaugural committee has been able to hold on to Evancho, the Radio City Rockettes, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. But despite serving as stalwarts for many past presidential inaugurations, even the latter two are showing signs of disdain. Mormon Tabernacle Choir singer Jan Chamberlin resigned from the group rather than sing for Trump, while the Rockettes have been racked by internal dissent over the performance.

Amy Schumer, Katy Perry, Scarlett Johansson, Cher, America Ferrera…

None of those famous names above have officially turned down Trump, but they won’t be at the inauguration. Instead, that group will hit the streets of Washington, D.C. on Jan. 21 to participate in the Women’s March on Washington. Other famous names planning to join in the march include Debra Messing, the cast of Orange Is the New Black, Frances McDormand, Julianne Moore, Olivia Wilde, Constance Wu, and many more.