Trisha Yearwood Explains Why She Backed Out of SeaWorld Gig

You won't find Trisha Yearwood onstage at SeaWorld this year, but that's not necessarily because she has issues with any ethical aspect of the marine park like some of her fellow country artists. 

Instead, Yearwood didn't feel that she was informed enough about the controversy.

Uproar over SeaWorld's practices began after CNN aired a documentary called 'Blackfish,' which questions the humaneness of keeping animals in captivity. After the film debuted, artists (including Yearwood) began pulling out of planned concerts at the Orlando location.

“I didn’t see ‘Blackfish.’ I was told about it,” Yearwood admits to Electric Barnyard. “I backed out because I didn’t know the facts. I didn’t want to do it if it was the wrong thing to do, I didn’t want to not do it. And so, I didn’t come out and make some statement about how horrible SeaWorld is, because I don’t feel that way. I feel like I don’t know the facts.”

“I did lean towards the side of, I’m not even a fan of zoos,” the country music icon continues. “It’s tough for me, for animals in captivity. But at the same time, I think there are reasons why some animals are, that wouldn’t survive in the wild. So I don’t have a ‘Let’s hate SeaWorld’ mentality, or a ‘They’re the best thing on the planet.’”

Yearwood has taken a more indifferent perspective than some, like Willie Nelson, who blatantly stated that in his opinion, what SeaWorld does is not okay. Yearwood's decision is more along the lines of Trace Adkins' preference to keep the focus on his music, instead of the controversy.

“I really didn’t want to be involved in a controversy that I was not educated about, so before tickets went on sale, I pulled out,” adds Yearwood. “I thought, ‘This is a battle I don’t want to fight, because I don’t know anything about it.’"

The 49-year-old songstress is staying out of harms way, focusing on just having fun with her music. She's currently on a 20-city tour called Just Because for that very reason.