Exclusive: The Chicks to sing National Anthem at the DNC on Thursday
By Elizabeth Wagmeister and Samantha Waldenberg, CNN
(CNN) — The Chicks will perform the National Anthem on Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention, multiple sources told CNN.
The country music group – formerly known as the Dixie Chicks – are set to take the stage on the closing night of the DNC, to kick off the evening when Vice President Kamala Harris will make her speech.
The Chicks performing at the National Anthem is a notable booking for the convention – not just because of country music’s historically conservative-leaning fanbases – but because of the band’s past that has infamously intertwined with politics.
In 2003, before the invasion of Iraq, the band’s lead singer Natalie Maines said at a concert that the group, which got its start in Dallas, did not endorse the war and were “ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.”
Their remarks about then-President George W. Bush triggered boycotts and backlash from fans, resulting in country stations across the country pulling the group’s music from the radio. At the time, in March 2003, CNN reported that “station managers said their decisions were prompted by calls from irate listeners who thought criticism of the president was unpatriotic.”
This will not be the first convention appearance for The Chicks, who also performed at the virtual 2020 DNC during the pandemic. Both of this year’s political conventions have made much more of a splash, returning to their large-scale, live and in-person formats. The DNC, in particular, has brought a revitalized Hollywood energy with a slew of celebrity appearances, performers, hosts and a lively music-filled roll call.
The Chicks – made up of Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer – are one of the best-selling female bands and country groups in music history. The band has won 13 Grammys, 10 CMA awards and eight ACM awards.
The Chicks are the latest country stars to be recruited by the DNC this week, showcasing a shift in the historical leanings of many artists in the genre – and perhaps some of their audiences, who the Harris-Walz campaign hopes will turn up to the polls. In recent years, as new artists have risen in the country music scene, the genre has seen some younger and more progressive stars.
On Monday, country singer Mickey Guyton performed on opening night at the DNC.
“For me, this is beyond a genre of music,” Guyton told CNN about her DNC performance. “This is about humanity. This is about the culture. This is about our country, and I feel honored to be able to witness history.”
On Wednesday, Maren Morris performed at the convention. The singer is perhaps the most vocal liberal country star, speaking loudly about LGBTQ+ rights and women’s rights. In 2023, Morris told the LA Times she was distancing herself from country music because of the conservative-held views that she found problematic within the industry. “I thought I’d like to burn it to the ground and start over,” she told the outlet of country music. “But it’s burning itself down without my help.”
In 2022, Morris got into a high-profile public spat with conservative country star Jason Aldean over gender-affirming healthcare.
Aldean, who is one of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters in the music industry, attended the Republican National Convention last month. He did not perform, but sat with Trump in his VIP box. When the former president took the stage at the RNC, he hailed Aldean as the “biggest star in country music.”
Country-rock star Kid Rock performed at the RNC, bringing chants of “fight, fight” and “Trump, Trump” into a mashup of his songs “Cowboy” and “American Bad A—,” which he sang just before Trump took the stage for his speech. “He became a friend of mine over the last ten years and he’s amazing,” Trump said of Kid Rock. “Everyone loves him.”
The-CNN-Wire
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