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JLo to perform at Biden inauguration, Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem

Other performers include Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and Ant Clemons.
Image: Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez performs in Times Square on New Years Eve in New York City, on Dec. 31, 2020.Gary Hershorn / Reuters file
/ Source: The Associated Press

Pop artists Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga will perform at the 59th Inaugural Ceremonies on Wednesday, when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States.

Gaga will sing the national anthem and Lopez will give a musical performance on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, where the ceremony will be taking place.

The announcement of their participation comes one day after word that Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute primetime TV special celebrating Biden's inauguration. Other performers include Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and Ant Clemons.

Lopez is considered one of the nation's most influential Latin artists. The award-winning actress, singer, dancer, producer, and businesswoman hailing originally from New York City is of Puerto Rican descent.

Last year, Lopez and Shakira made history as the first Latina duo to headline the Super Bowl halftime show.

According to a statement from the Presidential Inaugural Committee, Lopez and her partner Alex Rodriguez have been outspoken about the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus pandemic in Latino communities and the need to contain the virus, rebuild the economy, and unify the country.

The couple showed their support for Biden ahead of the presidential election when they joined him and his wife, Jill, in an effort to encourage Latinos to vote.

"For me, it’s unifying the nation again, you know, getting rid of this hate. Thinking about my kids walking around in a world where it’s OK to be racist or prejudiced because our administration says it’s OK — that, to me, is really sad because it’s not the country that I believe that I grew up in," Lopez told Biden during a virtual chat on Oct. 16. "My kind of hope and quest for the Latino community is that they start understanding their power."

At the swearing-in ceremony, Rev. Leo O’Donovan, a former Georgetown University president, will give the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Andrea Hall, a firefighter from Georgia. There will be a poetry reading from Amanda Gorman, the first national youth poet laureate, and the benediction will be given by Rev. Silvester Beaman of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Delaware.

“We are thrilled to announce an inspired group of dynamic participants for the 59th Inaugural Ceremonies. They represent one clear picture of the grand diversity of our great nation and will help honor and celebrate the time-honored traditions of the presidential inauguration," said Tony Allen, CEO of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, in a statement. "They are also committed to the President-elect and the Vice-President-elect’s steadfast vision of a new chapter in our American story in which we are an America united in overcoming the deep divisions and challenges."

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