United States Vice President Kamala Harris has used some of the music industry's star power to mobilize voters in the final weeks before November's presidential election.

On Saturday, two of the Democratic candidate's events were headlined by prominent musicians.

At her first stop in Detroit, Michigan, singer and rapper Lizzo warmed up the audience with a passionate on-stage support.

“I voted early and voted for Harris,” the Detroit native told a cheering crowd.

Michigan is one of about seven key swing states in the presidential race that could tilt toward either the Democrats or their Republican rival, former President Donald Trump.

Later in the day, Harris visited another key battleground: the southern state of Georgia.

There she had also hired another hometown hero, the musician Usher, who began his music career in Atlanta, the state capital. Usher sang a few bars with the crowd before beginning his speech.

“It's really great to be home. “I am here, at home, for my past-present-future tour, but took a short break to come here and say a few words to you about the significance of this moment,” he said.

“I feel like this is a great opportunity for each and every one of us. As we all know, we are only 17 days away from a very important election and we have the opportunity to select a new generation of leaders for our country.”

Record early voting

Harris' visit to Michigan on Saturday coincided with the first day of in-person early voting in Detroit.

Postal voting in the state had already begun. Michigan's online voting dashboard said more than a million mail-in ballots had been received as of Saturday morning.

It was one of several strong elections across the country that point to a possible surge in voter enthusiasm. According to officials, states including North Carolina and Georgia set record voter turnout levels this week.

Georgia's Foreign Minister's Chief Operating Officer, Gabriel Sterling, posted Voter turnout remains high on social media. The first day of early voting in Georgia was Tuesday.

“Congratulations to the counties and especially to our great voters in Georgia. You all broke another RECORD. Largest voter turnout ever for a general election Saturday,” Sterling wrote.

While experts caution against extrapolating too much from the numbers, political analysts point out that Democrats have traditionally seen a boost from large early voter turnouts.

Harris sought to build on this year's momentum during her campaign stops over the weekend.

“Georgia has begun early voting, breaking historic records. North Carolina began early voting, breaking historic records in North Carolina. “So who’s the capital of record production?” she told fans in Detroit, with a tongue-in-cheek reference to the city’s music industry.

“So we’re going to break some records here in Detroit today.”

Dealing with the war in Gaza

During her visit to Michigan, Harris also took the opportunity to reiterate her call for a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has waged a year-long military campaign that has killed more than 42,500 Palestinians.

U.S. support for Israel and its war has eroded Democratic support among Arab and Muslim Americans in Michigan.

The state has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the country and is also home to a nationwide protest movement against President Joe Biden's administration over its stance on war.

Harris, who also faced this criticism, expressed hope that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza could signal an end to hostilities.

“This creates an opportunity that I think we must take full advantage of – to dedicate ourselves to ending this war and bringing the hostages home,” Harris told reporters in Detroit.

She added that Middle East policy has long been a difficult issue for the United States.

“It’s never been easy,” Harris said. “But that doesn’t mean we’re giving up.”

Destroy Trump

At her campaign rally in Detroit, Harris addressed her supporters in front of signs that read “Detroit Votes Early” – and she and other speakers used their platform to hit back at Republicans' criticism of the city.

Earlier this month, Trump cast Detroit in an unflattering light, telling the Detroit Economic Club that another Democratic president would make the entire country a “Motor City.”

“Our whole country is going to end up like Detroit if she’s your president,” Trump said of Harris, calling Detroit “a mess.”

Harris, meanwhile, took the stage Saturday wearing a T-shirt that read “Detroit vs Everybody,” a slogan that adorns clothing lines and rap songs.

Lizzo, meanwhile, addressed Trump's comments more clearly. “I’m so proud to be from this city,” she told the crowd. “You know, they say if Kamala wins, the whole country will be like Detroit. Proud like Detroit. Resilient like Detroit.”

“Show some respect to Detroit’s name,” she added.

Celebrity endorsement

Analysts generally say the Democratic Party has been more successful in rallying celebrity power to its cause this election cycle.

Not only does Harris enjoy the support of the likes of Lizzo and Usher, but celebrities like Taylor Swift, Oprah and George Clooney have also announced their support for her since she became a presidential candidate in July.

However, it's not clear whether celebrity endorsement actually makes a difference in a campaign. More than 76 percent of voters recently surveyed by Quinnipiac University said Swift's endorsement would not affect their ballots.

The same goes for the Republicans. Two-thirds of those surveyed said that entrepreneur Elon Musk's recent support for Trump would also have no influence on their vote.

Nevertheless, the Democrats are relying on the shine of their star power.

Next week, for example, former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama will be campaigning with only two weeks until the election.

It will be Michelle's first time on the rally track. Barack, meanwhile, made his first campaign appearance in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, earlier this month.

Both Harris and Trump are trying to make headway in the crucial final weeks of the campaign. Polling averages show the two essentially neck and neck heading into the November vote.