Ant Clemons’ Stardom Reaches New Heights with Historic Inauguration Appearance

Ant Clemons’ meteoric rise in the music industry reached new heights recently when “Better Days,” his 2020 collaboration with Justin Timberlake, was among the songs performed on President Joe Biden’s primetime Inauguration special.

The special, “Celebrating America,” was seen by more than 21 million people on five broadcast networks and cable channels. Hosted by Tom Hanks, the special featured virtual performances from a diversity roster of artists, including Katy Perry, John Legend, Demi Lovato, Ozuna, and Black Puma.

Clemons and Timberlake were among the first artists to perform, setting a sober, yet hopeful tone for the rest of the program. Set on a dimly lit street in Timberlake’s hometown of Memphis, Clemons’ performance and lyrics offered encouragement to America that better days were indeed ahead.

The call for optimism could not have come from a better source. Clemons, 29, has been open about the struggles he faced early in his career, including how he once worked for Red Lobster, and his days sleeping on the floor in a friend’s apartment while pursuing his dreams of becoming a singer in Los Angeles.

“I don’t think words can describe how I feel right now,” Clemons, a New Jersey native, said in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. “I’ve been so accustomed to my old way of living before music was my everything that some mornings I still wake up and I’m like, “Oh man, I’m running late for work at Red Lobster.”

“So, to wake up and actually see all the different headlines and the announcements of being a part of history, is mind-blowing. I just can’t do anything but thank God for giving us this opportunity,” he told Rolling Stone in an interview conducted before the inauguration special aired.

Rising Star

Even before his inauguration appearance, Clemons was having a milestone year career-wise. His debut EP, “Happy 2 Be Here” was nominated for a Grammy, and he recently performed “Better Days” at Stacey Abrams’ Rock the Runoff event in Georgia, a get-out-the-vote initiative held before the Georgia Senate runoff election.

“That was like a dream come true because not only am I releasing the song with one of my biggest idols of all time but I’m also being part of the change that I want to see,” Clemons told Rolling Stone about Timberlake and the Abrams.

Greater Exposure, Bigger Sales

Clemons’ appearance on the Inauguration special generated some well-deserved exposure for his music. After the event on Jan. 20, “Better Days” was the most Shazamed song in single day in the U.S., according to Billboard.

Citing stats from Shazam, Billboard reported that “Better Days” was Shazamed more than 90,000 times within 24 hours of the Inauguration performance, breaking previous records held by “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” by Willie Nelson (heard on “Big Little Lies”) and “Jenny of Oldstones” by Florence + the Machine (heard on “Game of Thrones”).

The on the sales front, “Better Days” saw an immediate sales jump after inauguration special, selling 13,000 downloads on Jan. 20, a gain of 15,351% compared to its sales on Jan. 19, according to Billboard.

The Marathon Continues

While many artists have struggled to promote their music during the pandemic, Clemons has thrived by creating music that captures the pulse of Americans are experiences.

He says he plans to release new music in 2021 in addition to be prepared for whatever opportunities come his way.

“[Last year] before the pandemic had a whole bunch of plans of doing shows and then the world changed and we had to adjust,” Clemons told Rolling Stone. “So this year, I kind of just wanted to be focused on whatever it is that God wants me to do as far as artistry. I definitely want to keep dropping music, but I don’t have too many grand plans not knowing where we will be.”

Watch Ant Clemons and Justin Timberlake perform “Better Days” at the “Celebrating America” Inauguration special below.