Katy Perry And Demi Lovato Lit Up The Sky To Celebrate Joe Biden's Inauguration

Right following the swearing in of both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on January 20, the new administration got to work. Biden immediately signed over a dozen executive orders, reversing some of the previous administration's, and implemented a mask mandate for federal personnel, recommitted the United States to the Paris climate agreement, paused student cash advance repayments up until September 30, and more. Although he was already set up beyond the Resolute desk in the Oval Office, the inauguration celebration was far from over.


On Wednesday night, Tom Hanks hosted a star-studded, post-parade nighttime special called Celebrating America, a victory lap for the new administration that doubled as a tribute to America's frontline workers. As piece of the festivities, artists like Justin Timberlake, Ant Clemons, Jon Bon Jovi, the Foo Fighters, and more sang out songs of perseverance and hope. And none were more rapturous than Demi Lovato and Katy Perry.


Lovato's twilit efficiency in front of a (digital) purple sky honed in on dancing, as she brought her funky take on Bill Withers's "Lovely Day" to life. Rocking a beige suit with a new shorter haircut, Lovato anchored the disco-tinged song to sparkly life with a little bit help from videoed-in performances from health care workers, some of whom played guitar piano as well as the track. The Biden family member got in on the action, also, watching the efficiency from indoors within the White House.


"It was an absolute HONOR to perform tonight for our @POTUS, @VP, & the entirety of our United States of America ❤️🇺🇸," Lovato tweeted. "This is a night I'll NEVER forget. Thank you to each person who joined me to sing 'Lovely Day' by the late Bill Withers. Such an inspiring night."


Before the night concluded — and before Hanks became in icicle hosting the telecast outdoors in the chilly Washington, D.C. Evening air — each person knew there could be fireworks. And what better way to ring them in than with a song that's the aural equivalent of a firework: Katy Perry's "Firework."


In a grand, let's-return-to-normalcy gesture, the sky above the National Mall and the Washington monument lit up in a cavalcade of color, all as Perry belted out her signature 2010 pop-EDM anthem — and all because the President and First Lady watched and applauded from their balcony.


Relive all of the glory in the videos above.