3LAU’s Unpaid Performance at Trump’s Inauguration Ball
Participation as an Honor
3LAU says he wasn’t paid to play at US President Trump’s Inauguration Ball on Monday (January 20), describing his participation as “an honor.” EDM DJ and producer, Justin Blau, shared an account via Instagram of the event, writing: “Playing Starlight Ball was not on my 2025 bingo card, but I mean, wow, what an honor.”
Experience at the Event
BLau added that he was “so nervous” and only got to play for 30 minutes. Nevertheless, he labeled the experience as “achievement unlocked.”
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Response to Criticism
Blau’s Instagram post has since been flooded with comments from followers, including fellow musicians, questioning his decision to play for the controversial Republican President. Responding to one comment accusing him of “selling out,” 3LAU defended himself by writing: “I think this is the third time I’m saying this, but the government only covered my travel.”
Blau’s Musical Career
Blau, a US national based in Las Vegas, has a number of crowd-pleasing pop hit remixes under his belt — including his spins on ‘Into You’ by Ariana Grande, ‘Bon Appétit’ by Katy Perry, and ‘Desperado’ by Rihanna. In 2021, the producer also founded the blockchain-based music investment platform Royal and previously made millions from selling NFTs (non-fungible tokens).
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Legal Troubles
In November 2022, Digital Music News reported that the DJ was sued by artist Luna Aura over the $11.7 million dollar sale of his NFT album ‘Ultraviolet.’ She alleged that he did not properly license a song from the project (‘Walk Away’) that she co-wrote and featured on and that the DJ only offered a single payment of $25,000. The case was reportedly settled in 2023.
Henrietta Taylor is Mixmag’s Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter
FAQs
Q: Was 3LAU paid to perform at Trump’s Inauguration Ball?
A: No, 3LAU stated that he was not paid for his performance and considered it an honor.
Q: What legal issue did 3LAU face regarding his NFT album?
A: 3LAU was sued by artist Luna Aura over the sale of his NFT album ‘Ultraviolet’ for not properly licensing a song she co-wrote and featured on.
Credit: mixmag.net
