Pop superstar Justin Timberlake joined U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama for a special music education event at the White House on Tuesday (09Apr13) to celebrate the soulful sounds of his native Memphis, Tennessee.

The singer joined fellow musicians Ben Harper, Mavis Staples, Charlie Musselwhite and Sam Moore at the Washington, D.C. event to interact with students at the Memphis Soul Workshop, but the presence of SexyBack hitmaker had the crowd all abuzz and even prompted Obama to encourage the group to calm their nerves.

She said, "Oh, watching you all's faces - priceless. Priceless. See, you never know what's going to happen at the White House. Ok, let's breathe. Come on. Everyone, let's breathe, even the mums."

The First Lady went on to stress the importance of the music of Memphis and highlighted the level of dedication Timberlake had displayed early on in his career to improve his live shows, adding, "(When) Justin first started touring, he would immediately go to the bus to watch a tape of his performance, taking notes so that the next night he would be even better."

The five stars will cap off the day by hitting the stage for the latest gig in the In Performance at the White House concert series on Tuesday night, which will also include sets by Al Green, Queen Latifah, Cyndi Lauper and Alabama Shakes.

The show will be filmed for broadcast in America on 16 April (13).