Carrie Underwood faced the biggest audience of her career when she sang “America The Beautiful” at Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony on Monday (January 20).

Few honors are more significant for an artist and their career than an invitation to sing in front of a worldwide audience at a presidential inauguration ceremony. Carrie Underwood joined a long list of artists who have had the honor, including Garth Brooks, Lee Greenwood, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, and Kelly Clarkson.

But, unlike most previous performers, Carrie faced intense backlash beforehand and technical issues the day of.

The schedule for the ceremony was released a week before the inauguration, and fans were shocked to see Carrie’s name listed. Fans immediately responded, some elated at the news and some vowing to boycott the singer. Carrie responded with a statement saying that she accepted the invitation in the spirit of unity.

“I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,” she wrote. “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”

Seemingly unfazed by the backlash, Underwood, 41, took the stage to sing at the historic event. After a glitch with her accompaniment track, the singer chose to sing a cappella and invited the crowd to sing along. The performance turned into one of the most talked about and unifying moments of the day.

How much did Carrie Underwood get paid for her performance?
Despite the controversy surrounding her performance, Underwood likely saw a big payday from it. But not in the way you might think.

Artists invited to sing at the inauguration reportedly don’t get directly paid for their performances. However, “costs of travel, lodging, and other production expenses are covered through the inaugural committee or donors.”

Carrie Underwood will likely reap the biggest benefits through album and ticket sales of loyal fans who want to express their approval of her boldness. Within 24 hours of her performance, three of Underwood’s albums occupied space in the top 10 of the iTunes Top 40 Country Albums Chart, with Greatest Hits: Decade #1 and My Savior occupying the top two spots, respectively.

As of press time, Greatest Hits: Decade #1 sits at #6 on the iTunes all-genre albums chart, and My Savior is at #9 on the same chart.

In addition to performing, Carrie Underwood participated in other inaugural events.
One day before Donald Trump took the oath of office, Carrie and her husband, Mike Fisher, attended a candlelight dinner hosted by the incoming president.

Mike and Carrie posed for photographs with other guests who shared them online.

Following the official inauguration ceremony, cameras captured Mike and Carrie posing for photos with guests in the Capitol Rotunda, and their oldest son, 9-year-old Isaiah, accompanying them to the Inauguration Luncheon.