Justin Timberlake said he was “deeply honored” to perform his new collaboration with Ant Clemons, “Better Days,” during Wednesday night’s (Jan. 20) all-star Celebrating America special honoring President Joe Biden. The singer tweeted about the inspiring debut of the song during the primetime party capping a day that included soaring rhetoric from Biden about his desire to heal and bring together a nation fractured by a deadly pandemic and the toxic division sown by the previous administration.
“Today we all watched @joebiden and @kamalaharris take office — and make history. Tonight, @antclemons and I are deeply honored to perform our new song, ‘Better Days,’ as a celebration of everything this administration represents… as well as a reminder to keep our eyes on the road ahead. We have a lot of work to do, but I’m feeling very hopeful for this country right now,” Timberlake wrote in an Instagram post that included a clip of the performance from the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis.
“A huge thank you to my friends, students and alumni at @staxmusicacademy for performing with us on your grounds in our hometown of Memphis. This is a very special place to me, because it exists to nurture the next generation of great soul communicators,” JT added. “And if we’ve learned anything this year, it’s that this new generation of voices is powerful and crucial to creating much needed change. I hope you all enjoy the performance, and I hope, more than anything, that this song brings a little bit of joy as we move forward.”
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Clemons and 10-time Grammy winner Timberlake brought their soulful optimism to the Celebrating America concert following the inauguration of Biden as the 46th U.S. president, joining an all-star roster of artists celebrating the day, which included Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato, Katy Perry, Tim McGraw & Tyler Hubbard, John Legend, Ozuna & Luis Fonsi, Black Pumas and Foo Fighters.
Timberlake and Clemons began their performance inside the Stax building before taking to the streets outside mid-song, where they were joined by a socially distanced band and gospel choir.
Check out Timberlake’s tweets below.
