Broadway singer Jennifer Holliday has pulled out of her planned appearance at Donald Trump's inauguration, calling her decision to perform a "lapse of judgement".

The singer, who shot to fame in the musical Dreamgirls, is the latest of a number of singers to turn down the opportunity to perform at the president-elect's welcome ceremony.

In an open letter, published on The Wrap website, Holliday said she had not expected her choice to perform to be seen as a "political act", and that she had considered herself performing "for the people".

"I sincerely apologise for my lapse of judgement," she wrote.

Holliday, one of the original Deamgirls having taking the role of Effie in the 1981 stage production, is a gay icon and she appears to have pulled out after coming under fire from the LGBT community.

She had earlier defended her decision to perform, telling the New York Times on Friday that "if someone wants me to sing a national anthem or something, we think about America, and we go".

But in her open letter she said she had come to realise her "only choice must now be to stand with the LGBT [c]ommunity" and that she would no longer perform at the ceremony.

Earlier in the week singer Rebecca Ferguson said she had turned down an offer to perform at the ceremony.

Charlotte Church also confirmed that she would not be taking part at the event, due to take place on January 20.