Country star Garth Brooks will perform at Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony Wednesday.
Brooks, who noted on a call with reporters that he’s a Republican, said it’s important for the country to unify and he said he believes his music can help.
“Our job is to work as hard as we can for all of us to have a better future than before,” Brooks said. “This is not a political statement, this is a statement of unity.”
Later, he said he’s hoping to bring joy in a difficult time for the country.
“Hopefully through singing — hopefully there’ll be some smiling faces and hopefully a good outlook on what’s coming,” Brooks said.
The country singer said Jill Biden asked him to perform.
“She made a very sweet ask,” Brooks said. “We took the weekend to think about what we would sing if we got to do it and made the decision last night.”
Brooks provided few hints about what he might play.
He said he’s looking for a tune that’s patriotic.
“There are plenty of songs of love and unity that you can choose from,” he said.
Brooks is reprising a role that he played during a concert at President Obama’s inauguration.
The rollout of Brooks comes days after Donald Trump invited another country superstar, Toby Keith, into the Oval Office and awarded him the Medal of the Arts.
Keith had headlined a 2017 Make America Great Again event held at the Lincoln Memorial.