January 21, 2009 1:55

Will.i.am, Mary J. Blige kick off Neighborhood Ball

Mariah Carey also performs at official Obama inauguration celebration

Will.i.am kicked off the official Inauguration Ball entitled the Neighborhood Ball in Washington D.C. tonight (January 20) with a performance of his Obama-inspired song ‘New Day’.

“Happy new day America” he said, before launching into the track, which features the lyrics “I woke up this morning feeling alright/I've been fightin' for tomorrow all my life/I woke up this morning feeling brand new/’Cos the dreams that I've been dreaming finally came true”.

Mary J. Blige continued the show with a performance of ‘Just Fine’, and introduced the track saying “Today is the beginning of no more separation”, followed by performances from Maroon 5 and Mariah Carey, who sang her hit ‘Hero’.

“I wrote this song to inspire people that anything is possible, tonight I think we all believe that a whole lot more,’ Carey said. “This is a song for everyone out there with a dream, which of course I have to dedicate to our new President.”

Stay tuned to NME.COM for more Inauguration Ball coverage as it happens live in Washington D.C.

--By our New York staff.
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