Light up the sparklers and fire up the grill! Tyler Childers and Angelica Hale will be the performers at the White House’s Fourth of July celebration, Billboard can exclusively report.
The celebration in honor of Independence Day will be held on the South Lawn. In addition to performances by the country singer and America’s Got Talent season 12 runner-up, the event hosted by President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will have active-duty military service members and their family in attendance for a barbecue, as well as viewing fireworks along the National Mall.
The country artist and young singer-songwriter are fitting choices for the event. Childers made headlines in September 2020 when he surprise released his Grammy-nominated album Long Violent History, which peaked at No. 45 on the Billboard 200. Along with the set came a video of the musician — who is currently on the road for his Mule Pull ’24 Tour — sharing a powerful message about racial inequality for those who didn’t understand or support the Black Lives Matter movement.
“We’ve all witnessed violent acts of police brutality happen around the nation that have gone unaddressed. In response, we’ve seen protests turn to riots, and riots culminate into acts of violence and destruction of property. From the outsider’s perspective, it’s hard to see where all this visceral anger is coming from,” the Kentucky native said in part in the video, which also referenced Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed by police while she was in bed. “What I believe to be one of the biggest obstacles in pinpointing the cause of this is our inability to empathize with another individual or group’s plight.”
Hale’s set on Thursday (July 4) will be the 16-year-old’s second time performing for the Biden Administration. The Filipino-American artist — who was only 10 when she competed on AGT — sang the national anthem at the White House in May for an event in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Attendees at the White House’s Fourth of July concert will also have musical offerings from White Ford Broncos, D.C.’s all-’90s cover band; DJ Mel; and the United States Marine Band.