The official inauguration of President Barack Obama took place today (January 21) in Washington DC and the stars of music turned up for the event.

Obama was sworn in for a second term this morning and the ceremony saw stunning live performances from Kelly Clarkson and Beyoncé, who arrived with her husband Jay-Z.

The superstar and her rap mogul beau turned up in style with Beyoncé wearing a black Christian Dior (shown below) coat before they took their front row seats to hear Obama's plan for the next 4 years. She then took the stage to perform America's national anthem, 'The Star Spangled Banner'.

Clarkson, meanwhile, treated onlookers to a strong rendition of 'My Country Tis of Thee'. Praise for both singers' performances has been flooding in on social networking site Twitter and the inauguration has been featured in the worldwide trending topics list during the day.

Watch Clarkson and Beyoncé's performances in full below: