Watch President Obama Sing “Happy Birthday” to His Daughter with Kendrick Lamar and Janelle Monáe

Watch President Obama Sing “Happy Birthday” to His Daughter with Kendrick Lamar and Janelle Monáe

He may be the coolest president we’ve ever had, but remember, he’s still a dad.

At the annual White House Fourth of July BBQ, President Barack Obama led the crowd in a verse of “Happy Birthday” to his now-18-year-old daughter Malia. Onstage beside him were none other than Kendrick Lamar and Janelle Monáe, who had performed earlier as a part of the festivities. President Obama recognized troops in attendance, thanking them for their service and reminding the audience that independence isn’t something that happened and is done, “it’s something we have to fight for every single day.”

Obama expressed his highest regards for the entertainers of the evening, too, referring to both Lamar and Monáe as “amazing artists … [who are] also very conscious about their responsibilities and obligations.” Rolling Stone reports that he has spent time with both artists individually: Lamar, for the Pay-It-Forward program which focuses on inner-city youth, and Monáe for criminal justice reform.

President Obama had covered all of the expected bases when he brought up that Malia shares a birthday with the United States. “Just because it’s the job of a father to embarrass his daughters … ” the president began, “I’ve got one last job.”

He launched wholeheartedly into singing “Happy Birthday” to Malia, and while the musicians beside him were singing, his occupation of the microphone drowned out any on-key singing. Malia reached the stage to hug her father, appearing not embarrassed in the least.

“God bless America,” Obama said, closing out the evening in the most presidential way. Watch the video above to behold the president’s pipes for yourself.

 
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