Yahoo Finance Lady Gaga And Jennifer Lopez Bring The Glamour To Washington DC Ahead Of Inauguration
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will make history this week, on Wednesday 20 January.
Biden, 78, will become the oldest President in US history when he is inaugurated in front of the US Capitol and Harris will become the first female Vice President, the first Black woman and the first Asian-American to hold office.
The location of the inauguration ceremony is particularly poignant this year. It will take place at the very same spot where, just two weeks ago, Donald Trump-supporting right-wing violent rioters stormed the building in an insurrection attempt.
Since the riot - at which five people died - it has been almost universally condemned and Trump (who has said he will not attend Biden's inauguration, breaking with decades-long traditions) has been impeached for a second time.
Considering the recent riots, the inauguration ceremony and the build up to it will be subject to an increased level of security and surveillance, according to US media.
So, this year's inauguration may look slightly different, with no formalities involving the outgoing president - though former presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush, Bill Clinton and former First Ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton will be in attendance - and an increase in security. While Biden's and Harris' supporters are expected to show and be in hopeful spirits - perhaps more so given the current state of US politics, as seen by the Capitol riots - it's expected that there might be sombre undertones on the big day.
One element of the inauguration that will be reawakened when Biden becomes the 46th president of the US is live performances. In contrast to the case of Trump in 2017 - where his teams reportedly struggled to get acts to perform at the ceremony (Welsh singer Charlotte Church revealed she had been asked and declined) and ended up with some largely unknown artists - the list of performers that'll show up in support of Biden are in a similar vein to those we saw at Obama's inauguration (Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin).
Here's who is performing at the 2021 Inauguration:
Lady Gaga
Gaga has a long-running relationship with Biden and was regularly seen on the campaign trail supporting the presidential candidate ahead of last year's election.
Over the weekend Biden's inaugural committee confirmed that Gaga would be performing the national anthem on January 20, 2021. The A Star Is Born singer said she was 'honoured' to be performing at the event.
I am deeply honored to be joining @BidenInaugural on January 20 to sing the National Anthem and celebrate the historic inauguration of @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris! 💙 pic.twitter.com/MfgcG3j4Aa
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) January 14, 2021
On Tuesday (January 19), Gaga confirmed she had landed in the city with a photo of herself praying inside the Capitol building. Adding to the dramatic setting of the picture, Gaga wore a custom Givenchy cape dress with a face mask to match.
Jennifer Lopez
Another A-lister who kept fans updated with her movements was Lopez, who will be performing during the inauguration too.
The singer shared a photograph of herself - wearing a chic grey Alberta Ferretti travel outfit - boarding a plane for DC before sharing more updates after she'd arrived in the city too, posing with members of the military and sitting on the steps of the Capitol building with her team.
Lopez campaigned for Biden in the run up to the election, joining her future Alex Rodriguez for a recorded interview with Biden and the incoming First Lady, Dr Jill Biden, before Americans headed to the polls.
We don't know what Lopez's performance will entail just yet as the committee, so far, have somewhat cryptically simply said the star will deliver a 'musical performance'. However, Rodriguez teased his fiancé's performance on Monday when he appeared on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
'She has something really cool, you're gonna be surprised, you're gonna love it,' the former baseball player said before adding that despite Lopez's incredible past year of high-profile performances - including the Super Bowl and New Year's Eve at Times Square - it was this upcoming inauguration performance she is most nervous about.
Tom Hanks
Following the formalities of the swearing in ceremony, the Oscar winning actor will host a 90-minute long live primetime TV event called Celebrating America which will see a host of musical guests and high-profile speakers take to the platform to celebrate the inauguration. The show will be available to watch live on US TV as well as social streaming platforms like YouTube.
Kerry Washington
The Little Fires Everywhere actor - who was a prominent campaigner during the election, often travelling to various states in support of the Democrat candidates - will also be partaking in Celebrating America.
The Foo Fighters
Also performing at the Celebrating America concert will be the Foo Fighters.
Bruce Springsteen
The rock star, who has previously performed at inauguration festivities for Obama, will also be joining in the live concert.
John Legend
Legend - who days before the election was joined on stage by his wife Chrissy Teigen and their children Luna and Miles to rally for Harris - will also be performing.
On Tuesday (January 19), Teigen confirmed that she is joining her husband in DC for the event, sharing a picture of herself attending the soundcheck and meeting members of the military on the way.
Eva Longoria
The former Desperate Housewives actor will be another speaker to mark the inauguration at Celebrating America.
Demi Lovato
The singer is another of the musical guests performing during the live concert.
Justin Timberlake
The singer - who recently confirmed the birth of his second child, a son called Phineas - will be performing on the night.
Lin Manuel Miranda
The Hamilton creator will be 'reciting a classic work' during the event according to US politics outlet, The Hill.
Amanda Gorman
Following in the footsteps of Maya Angelou - who delivered the reading at Bill Clinton's inauguration - the 22-year-old has been selected by Biden to deliver a poetry reading during the inauguration ceremony, making her the youngest ever inauguration poet.
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