British singer Rebecca Ferguson has pulled out of Donald Trump's inauguration after a row about her performing a famous protest song about lynching.
The Liverpool-born star wanted to perform Strange Fruit - a track which was written in the 1930s to protest at racism and particularly the lynching of black people and was most famously performed by the late Billie Holiday.
The haunting song contains the lyrics: 'Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.'
It appears the President-elect or people on his transition team have decided it did not set the right tone for his inauguration.
In an official statement today the 30-year-old singer 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.
Struggling: According to The Wrap , the President-Elect is struggling to find acts to perform at his inauguration, in light of his controversial campaign
'I wasn't comfortable with the song choice made on my behalf, and although I'm very blessed to have a gift that gives me amazing opportunities, as a mother and an artist, I had to defend my stance. That is why I made the decision to sing Strange Fruit when I was invited. '
'I wasn't comfortable with the song choice made on my behalf, and although I'm very blessed to have a gift that gives me amazing opportunities, as a mother and an artist, I had to defend my stance. That is why I made the decision to sing Strange Fruit when I was invited. '
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