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

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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