Justin Bieber Performs ‘What Do You Mean?’ At Think It Up, Hangs With Jennifer Garner
Justin Bieber opened the first-ever “Think It Up” telethon with a dynamic performance of his new hit single “What Do you Mean?” in a fundraising telecast that aired on ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC on Friday.
Celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Biel, Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Wilmer Valderrama, Halle Berry, Austin Mahone, Kristen Bell, and more, attended the event, which was held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.
Bieber was introduced on stage by actress Jessica Biel before the white and black-clad heartthrob took to the stage to sing his No. 1 smash and romp through dance sequences with a lineup of backing dancers.
The superstar was one of only two artists to perform live at the event. The other was Kacey Musgrave.
Following Bieber’s spot, various stars talked about the state of education in the U.S. and ways it can be improved. This led to reminisces from Ryan Seacrest, Garner, Valderrama, and Berry on their schooldays, while McConaughey took viewers inside U.S. schools to throw a spotlight on how educators are trying to help students tap into their potential.
Nick Jonas was also made an ambassador of the initiative, and James Corden’s carpool with the one and only Stevie Wonder was played at the Think It Up event.
Paltrow also spoke about the “need to empower teachers to help students become creative thinkers and problem solvers,” while Eric Stonestreet encouraged students to “be bold.”
At the event of the telecast, E! News reports, the audience were brought to their feet as Big Sean wrapped the show with a rousing rendition of “One Man Can Change the World.”
Think It Up is an initiative of the Entertainment Industry Foundation charitable organization. The brand new movement was created to support the nation’s students, teachers, and schools in positively uplifting the learning experience in the U.S. The national education initiative seeks to shift the public conversation about education, and create a new culture of positive excitement about learning in America and sense of optimism about educative possibilities in classrooms across the country.
.@justinbieber kicking off the #ThinkItUp show! pic.twitter.com/WJfr98ZirA
— Think It Up (@think_it_up) September 12, 2015
Thank you @justinbieber for helping to kick things off right tonight on #ThinkItUp with your incredible performance. #WhatDoYouMean
— Think It Up (@think_it_up) September 12, 2015
Bieber’s appearance at the event was met with wild cheers from the crowd, and is the latest high-profile event for the superstar, who is promoting his chart-topping single “What Do You Mean?” after its release on August 28.
Two days later, the 21-year-old performed the song live for the first time at the MTV Video Music Awards, where the audience’s rapturous standing ovation prompted tears from the singer, who later said that he had been “overwhelmed” by the reception.
Days later, Justin joined Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show and also performed the song with the house band, The Roots.
On Thursday, the Biebs put on a five-song show to wrap the Today Show’s summer concert series in New York City. He also performed privately for 9/11 relatives and Make-A-Wish children after his set.
And, if your Bieber Fever still isn’t sated, the singer will be seen on The Ellen DeGeneres Show next week.
A preview of the singer accidentally breaking a camera after he and Ellen fired t-shirts into the audience during the show’s taping in New York City has already aired. Bieber is currently in the middle of a massive comeback, that saw him become the youngest male artist to debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart earlier this week, and set a new Spotify record for the most-streamed track in its the first five days after its release with over 21 million daily plays.
[Images via Christopher Polk / Getty Images For EIF]
