Outspoken singer Pink is expected to perform at the Democratic National Convention ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris’ highly anticipated speech Thursday, with John Legend performing on Wednesday, CNN and the Associated Press reported—joining a roster of celebrities and musical guests.
Musician Pink is expected to close out the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night, CNN ... [+]
Pink, who has spoken out politically in the past but has not performed at a national convention, will likely perform just before Harris goes on to formally accept the party’s nomination for president, CNN first reported Wednesday, citing an unnamed source.
John Legend—who made a surprise appearance at the convention during a meeting earlier Wednesday afternoon—is rumored to be the musical guest on Wednesday night before Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz comes on to accept the party’s nomination for vice president, CNN reported.
Legend may perform a tribute to Minnesota native Prince to welcome Walz to the stage, Rolling Stone reported.
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If they perform, Legend and Pink will join a number of other musicians who have taken the DNC stage this year. On Monday night, Jason Isbell and Mickey Guyton performed, and singer-songwriter legend James Taylor was scheduled to appear before President Joe Biden’s speech, though his performance ended up being cut for time. Tuesday night saw R&B singer Patti Labelle and rapper Common perform. As part of the broader push to have high energy during the convention, states each selected a special song to play as they cast their votes for Harris, and rapper and Atlanta native Lil Jon made a surprise performance to sing “Turn Down For What” during Georgia’s roll call vote. Other songs included Missouri native Chappell Roan’s “Good luck, babe!,” Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen” for Arizona and Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)” for Connecticut.
Whether any other big names make an appearance at the DNC. Some fans believed Béyonce—who gave Harris permission to use her song, “Freedom,” on the campaign trail—would make a surprise appearance at the convention to publicly support Harris. On Tuesday morning, Democratic Party Chair Jaime Harrison fed into the speculation when he wouldn’t confirm or deny to CBS Mornings whether the singer would appear. Some fans also believed Swift—who ended the European leg of her Eras Tour on Tuesday—would make an appearance, despite there being no evidence supporting the theory. There haven’t been any concrete indications Swift will even endorse Harris, though she has vocally opposed Donald Trump in the past and supported Biden in 2020.
Pink has supported a number of Democratic causes in the past, including abortion rights and LGBTQ rights, and has released political songs including “irrelevant” in 2022—which saw its proceeds donated to former first lady Michelle Obama’s nonpartisan voting initiative When We All Vote—and “Dear Mr. President” with the Indigo Girls in 2006, which criticized former Republican president George W. Bush. Pink has perhaps been most outspoken about abortion rights. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Pink said in a since-deleted tweet: “Let’s be clear: if you believe the government belongs in a woman’s uterus, a gay persons business or marriage, or that racism is okay- THEN PLEASE IN THE NAME OF YOUR LORD NEVER FING LISTEN TO MY MUSIC AGAIN. AND ALSO F RIGHT OFF. We good?”