Flanked by Lady Gaga and J. Lo, Michelle Obama receives standing ovation at the Grammys

Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Michelle Obama, and Jennifer Lopez.
(Image credit: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

The 61st annual Grammy Awards started with a bang, as former first lady Michelle Obama made a surprise appearance alongside Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and host Alicia Keys.

Each woman spoke about the power of music, and as soon as Obama had the microphone, the crowd went wild, cheering and giving her a standing ovation. "From the Motown records I wore out on the Southside to the 'Who Run the World' songs that fueled me through this last decade, music has always helped me tell my story," she said.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.