Update: Rebecca Ferguson has confirmed she will not be performing at Trump's inauguration.
In a new statement posted on Twitter, the British singer stated: '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.
'I think love and standing firm in love against anything that separates us from each other, can heal us in these troubled times of unrest.
'I've a lot of love for the United States. It's a constant source of inspiration to myself, if not the whole world. I genuinely wish you all well and hope I will still get to sing Strange Fruit for you one day.'
Read the full statement release here.
Original story: It's no secret that Donald Trump has been having some trouble finding people to perform at his inauguration this month, but it appears at least one person might finally be willing to take the gig — if the president-elect agrees to one condition.
On Monday, singer Rebecca Ferguson took to Twitter to state that she had been invited to perform at Trump's inauguration, and would be more than happy to do it if the president-elect allowed her to sing "Strange Fruit."
The song, based on the 1937 poem by Abel Meeropol and first recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939, is a powerful and gut-wrenching protest of anti-black racism, and describes the horrific lynchings of African-Americans in the early 20th Century. Since then, it has been covered by multiple artists — most recently, Kanye West sampled Nina Simone's 1965 version of the song for "Blood On the Leaves" — and was named the "Song of the Century" by Time in 1999.
"If you allow me to sing 'Strange Fruit,' a song that has huge historical importance, a song that was blacklisted in the United States for being too controversial," Rebecca wrote in her statement on Monday. "A song that speaks to all the disregarded and down trodden black people in the United States. A song that is a reminder of how love is the only thing that will conquer all the hatred in this world, then I will graciously accept your invitation and see you in Washington."
The president-elect has not yet responded to her statement, which many pointed out was more or less her way of turning the offer down.
Meanwhile, others expressed their belief that even if Trump allowed her to sing "Strange Fruit," she should still refuse to perform at the inauguration on principle.
Follow Gina on Twitter.
