Beyonce to sing at Obama inauguration
US: Pop diva Beyonce will sing the national anthem before hundreds of
thousands of onlookers at US President Barack Obama's inauguration
ceremony on January 21, organizers said Wednesday.
On a stage specially constructed for the event at the foot of the
Capitol, the singer -- a long-time supporter of Obama -- will belt out
"The Star-Spangled Banner" before Obama's cabinet, lawmakers and the
public.
Chart-topping pop singer Kelly Clarkson, the first winner of
"American Idol," and veteran singer-songwriter James Taylor will also
perform at the ceremony to mark the start of Obama's second term. At
Obama's first inauguration in 2009, soul legend Aretha Franklin gave a
stirring rendition of another US patriotic song, "My Country Tis of
Thee".
This time around, Clarkson will perform it. Beyonce and her rap star
husband Jay-Z were key backers of Obama's 2012 re-election campaign,
hosting a fundraising event in New York for the Democratic incumbent.
Beyonce, who sang at one of the inaugural balls in 2009, is starting
the year strong -- she will also perform the much-watched halftime show
at the Super Bowl on February 3.
Richard Blanco, who was born in Spain to Cuban exiles, will serve as
the inaugural poet, the first Latino and first openly gay poet to have
the honor of reading his work at an inauguration ceremony, organizers
said.
"Richard's writing will be wonderfully fitting for an Inaugural that
will celebrate the strength of the American people and our nation's
great diversity," Obama said in a statement.
Blanco follows in the footsteps of Maya Angelou, who read "On the
Pulse of Morning" at Bill Clinton's first inauguration in 1993.
Obama will take the oath of office in a private ceremony on January
20, a date stipulated by the US constitution.
AFP |