To Gen Xers, David Foster is the kitschy uber-producer responsible for musical hits like Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” Celine Dion’s “The Power of Love,” and the soundtrack to St. Elmo’s Fire (yikes). But millennials know him best as a tabloid staple, appearing on the reality shows Princes of Malibu, alongside former stepchildren Brody and Brandon Jenner (with third wife Linda Thompson, now divorced), as well as The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills opposite current stepkids Gigi and Bella Hadid (with fourth wife Yolanda Hadid, currently separated).
Generation Z may see him as Donald Trump’s personal conductor.
The 67-year-old Canadian musician, who loves posting photos of himself on private jets—literally every fifth photo on his Instagram, I kid you not—is reportedly playing a “pivotal role” in planning Trump’s presidential inauguration, according to Page Six. Even though Foster supported Hillary Clinton during the election, Trump is a longtime pal of his, so the well-connected producer has been tasked with rounding up musical talent for Donald’s big day.
Foster played a part in courting famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, an old friend of his, for the inauguration. Foster produced Bocelli’s album Passione, released in 2013, and has performed live with him on a number of occasions. He once even called him his “favorite singer on the planet” on Oprah. If Bocelli is ultimately booked, he’ll join 16-year-old America’s Got Talent contestant Jackie Evancho, a Foster discovery, who is slated to sing the National Anthem at the inauguration.
Securing A-list talent hasn’t been easy for Trump. Much like his Republican National Convention, which he teased as a star-studded affair boasting the likes of Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, and Mike Ditka only to end up with Scott Baio, many musicians not named Kanye West are wary of supporting a man with a four-decade-long track record of racial discrimination and misogyny.
A recent report in The Wrap claimed Trump’s team was so desperate to book A-listers to perform at his inauguration events that they even dangled money and ambassadorships to talent managers in exchange for securing top-tier musical talent. “Never in a million years have I heard something so crazy,” an insider told The Wrap. “That was the moment I almost dropped the phone.”
Trump’s team is said to have set its sights on the likes of Justin Timberlake, Aretha Franklin, and Katy Perry to perform at inauguration events. They’re very odd choices, considering that Timberlake held a glitzy fundraiser at his home for Hillary Clinton back in August; Aretha Franklin sang at the 2009 inauguration of Obama, a man Trump waged a racist, years-long birther campaign against; and Katy Perry was Hillary’s most ubiquitous celebrity surrogate, who tweeted out “THE REVOLUTION IS COMING” on election night after Trump was declared the victor.
Foster is also the biological father of Sara and Erin Foster, the fetching blond sisters who star in the VH1 reality TV parody Barely Famous. He is joined on Trump’s inauguration planning squad by Colony Capital CEO Tom Barrack, a huge Trump donor who spoke at the Republican National Convention and is reportedly in charge of inaugural events, along with Trump’s Apprentice producer Mark Burnett.
UPDATE: On Saturday afternoon, Foster took to his Instagram to address the rumors, alleging he declined to be involved in the Trump inauguration. But it is very, very curious that Evancho was discovered by Foster and Bocelli is his best friend...
