Singer Taylor Dayne has been getting intense backlash for performing at a Mar-a-Lago resort New Year’s Eve event last week.
Though President Trump was not present for the event, his children – Tiffany, Eric, and Don Jr. – were all in attendance alongside Rudy Giuliani.
“Many criticized the singer for performing at the event amid the coronavirus pandemic,” reported Fox News. “The New York Times reported that many of the guests in attendance did not wear masks and that the party itself, which took place indoors, violated some of Florida’s restrictions. Dayne’s performance at the president’s party was understood as a tacit show of support.”
In a now-deleted tweet, Dayne responded to her critics, saying that she does her best to stay apolitical in her work, acknowledging that she has “many diverse friendships.”
“I’m saddened by all this. I have a 30 yr careers s that many diverse friendships .and I try to stay non political and non judgmental and not preach . I sing from my heart purely and from Source. I wish for all to be who they need to be .. and find their way,” she wrote.
Former ’90s rap star Vanilla Ice also received criticism for performing at the event, which reportedly cost $1000 a ticket. On the flipside, the New Year’s Rockin’ Eve performances by Billy Porter and Cyndi Lauper were equally panned by audiences. From the New York Post:
Cyndi Lauper said goodbye to 2020 in the most appropriate way: By giving a shocking, out-there performance on live TV.
The 67-year-old pop star performed “True Colors” and “Hope” on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” on ABC Thursday night.
After being joined by Seacrest, Billy Porter and Lucy Hale for “True Colors,” Lauper’s glam team attempted to give her touch-ups, leading the singer to scream, “I’m on camera! I’m on camera!”
The chaotic performance called to mind fellow diva Mariah Carey’s disastrous 2016 New Year’s Eve showing, during which she was unable to hear her own song track, ultimately giving up and standing on the stage with her mouth closed and a hand on her hip.
“Well, happy New Year. We can’t hear, but I’ll just go through the motions,” she huffed, later adding, “I’m trying to be a good sport here.”
Lauper debuted “Hope” during the initial coronavirus lockdown in March. But even that apparently wasn’t enough time to get the notes right. On stage, she jumped around while attempting to sing in tune.
Singer Jennifer Lopez was equally skewered for donning what Page Six called an “over-the-top face mask” as she performed on stage.
“The 51-year-old pop superstar closed out 2020 with a performance on ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,’ towering above the stage in a larger-than-life Valentino Haute Couture cape and a sparkling, spherical Marianna Harutunian headpiece reminiscent of the dropping ball itself,” wrote Page Six. “Fans weren’t sure what to make of the entertainer’s face covering, with one Twitter user writing, ‘They said ‘please wear a mask’ and Jennifer Lopez said ‘ON IT.’”