Jessica Biel, Halle Berry and Nicole Kidman Bust a Move to Justin Timberlake's 2017 Oscars Opening Performance

Pop singer brought the animated feature Trolls to life

By McKenna Aiello Feb 27, 2017 1:39 AMTags
Justin Timberlake, 2017 Oscars, Academy Awards, ShowKevin Winter/Getty Images

Justin Timberlake knows how to get the party started!

The pop singer was the first star to take the Dolby Theater stage at the 2017 Oscars on Sunday evening to perform "Can't Stop the Feeling!" from the wildly popular animated flick, Trolls. He also transitioned into a mashup of Bill Withers' "Lovely Day."

The feel good anthem, which had stars like Halle Berry and Nicole Kidman up on their feet and dancing along, is nominated in the Best Original Song category. The nomination also marks Timberlake's first-ever Academy Awards honor. 

Ever-so suave, Justin wore a sleek black and white tuxedo and busted out his signature moves while singing through the aisles. Wife Jessica Biel, who joined Timberlake on the Oscars red carpet, cheered on her main man from the audience.

Ahead of the show, he teased in an interview with E! News' Ryan Seacrest about opening the show, "'Did someone say that? Stay watching when the red carpet is over. When the bell rings, have your champagne already poured!"

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Oscars 2017 Red Carpet Arrivals
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Watch: Justin Timberlake Says Jessica Biel Is "Perfection" at 2017 Oscars

Upon its release last May, "Can't Stop the Feeling" skyrocketed to the top of the charts to become the best-selling song of 2016. Despite its mainstream success, J.T.'s song faces stiff competition up against La La Land's "City of Stars" and "Audition: The Fools Who Dream," Jim: The James Foley Story's "The Empty Chair" and Moana's "How Far I'll Go."

Joining Timberlake on this year's star-studded performance lineup is John Legend, who will perform a medley from La La LandLin-Manuel Miranda, who will perform alongside Moana breakout actress Auli'i Cravalho, and Sting, who will sing the leading track from Jim: The James Foley Story soundtrack. 

When asked about his songwriting process, Justin shared, "So our task was to sort of write a song that encapsulated the message of the movie. By the way, we wanted people to be able to dance to it, too."

He continued, "I just felt like when I was watching the movie, it reminded me of disco. That's where I got the idea to say, 'Why don't we try to do like a modern disco?'"

For complete Oscars coverage, tune in to E! News at 7 p.m. and Fashion Police at 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27.