The Village People announced they will be performing at inauguration events for President-elect Donald Trump.
The group's iconic anthem "Y.M.C.A." has become the signature song at Trump rallies.
"We know this won't make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics," Victor Willis, a member of the group said on Facebook. "Our song Y.M.C.A. is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost. We believe it's now time to bring the country together with music."
Last month, the 76-year-old singer-songwriter said Trump acquired the necessary BMI license to use the song. Willis decided not to withdraw permissions because Trump seemed "to genuinely like" the song and was "having a lot of fun with it."
"I simply didn't have the heart to prevent his continued use of my song in the face of so many artists withdrawing his use of their material," Willis wrote. "So, I told my wife to inform BMI to not withdraw the Trump campaign political use license."
Willis said Trump's use of the song has helped the band make millions. He also pushed back on longstanding rumors the song is a "gay anthem," calling it a "false assumption."
"My writing partner was gay, and some (not all) of Village People were gay, and that the first Village People album was totally about gay life," Willis said. This assumption is also based on the fact that the YMCA was apparently being used as some sort of gay hangout and since one of the writers was gay and some of the Village People are gay, the song must be a message to gay people. To that I say once again, get your minds out of the gutter. It is not."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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