"She sounds a mess"— Internet reacts to Carrie Underwood's a capella singing of America the Beautiful at Trump's inauguration

Carrie Underwood performed an a capella version of America the Beautiful on Monday, January 20, during President Donald Trump's inauguration inside the Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C. Her impromptu a capella rendition of the patriotic anthem came after a major technical mishap, leaving her without instrumental backing.

Underwood, who was dressed in a sleeveless white gown for the performance, encouraged the audience to join her. She told the audience, "You know the words—help me out here," before launching into the a capella rendition accompanied by the United States Naval Academy Glee Club and the Armed Forces Chorus.

Videos of Carrie Underwood's a capella performance circulated the internet, sparking a whirlwind of reactions from critics and fans alike. One netizen on X pointed out how Underwood's performance was a "mess."

"LMAOOOO she can't hide behind tracking vocals and instrumental now. She sounds a mess," the comment read.

The country music star's a capella rendition also met more criticism, with some netizens pointing out that she could do better than her performance at Donald Trump's inauguration.

"If I'm being honest, I always thought she had a better voice than that. Bring the hate," an X user commented.

"Singing the song 4 octaves lower than most actual vocalist would too. How boring and easy and still had so many flat notes and straining! She should be ashamed," an X user wrote.

However, other netizens found Carrie Underwood's raw performance of the patriotic anthem "amazing" and "flawless." They pointed out that people singing along with her made the song even more "beautiful," with others commending her professionalism after facing technical difficulties.

"I enjoyed Carrie's performance more without the background music - it was nice hearing everyone sing along with her," a user on X wrote.

"I thought it was amazing! I don't understand why people need to hate. Having people sing with her made it such a beautiful moment. Haters gonna hate I guess," another X user wrote.

"Talk about a true professional—Carrie Underwood turned technical difficulties into a flawless moment, proving she doesn't need any backup," a user on X added.

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Carrie Underwood said it was an honor to sing at Donald Trump's inauguration

On January 13, news came out that Carrie Underwood will be performing at Donald Trump's inauguration. The singer, who has kept her political opinions private, something she admitted to The Guardian in 2019, was met with different reactions from netizens.

However, according to the American Idol alum, it was an honor to be asked to perform at Trump's inaugural ceremony. She said in a press statement, per People, on January 13:

"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. 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.”

Besides Underwood, the event also features performances from several artists, including the opera singer Christopher Macchio, who sang the national anthem, and Lee Greenwood, who performed God Bless the USA.