iHeartRadio is all about welcoming the holiday season with open arms. Just take a look at the annual Jingle Ball Tour, which brings together some of the biggest names in music like Bruno Mars, Britney Spears and Justin Bieber.
On Friday, the trio -- as well as acts like Fifth Harmony, Diplo and Meghan Trainor -- were in Los Angeles for a night of hit tunes and must-see moments.
Alessia Cara's debut single is pretty recognizable upon first listen, but the 20-year-old Canadian star offered the live audience something special when she treated them to a new verse. Towards the bridge of the song, the singer offered up a fast-spitting rap, which can only lead us to believe that she’s been to another one of those awful parties in recent months. Truth be told, she’s performed this addition on tour before, but it’s still surreal to hear a budding star admit that the industry might not be for her.
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Spears celebrated her 35th birthday by treating the audience to a performance of her greatest hits, as well as a surprise collaboration with Tinashe on their duet “Slumber Party.” After her set, featuring live renditions of "Womanizer," "I'm A Slave 4 U," "Toxic,” "Make Me," and more, Ryan Seacrest and the rest of the KIIS crew surprised the pop star with a black-and-pink birthday cake topped with a sparkler.
On the heels of an exhausting European tour, Bieber still managed give it his all to close out Jingle Ball. Click here for highlights.
R&B-pop crooner Bruno Mars opened Jingle Ball with a performance of his greatest hits, beginning with his latest single “24K Magic” off his third studio record of the same name. For his spectacular, Mars and his backup band, The Hooligans, gave the audience a taste of what his forthcoming 24K Magic World Tour will be like by delivering an explosive, dance-heavy set featuring his throwback bangers.
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In between making the arena shake with his bass-heavy mixes of Major Lazer's "Boom," Rae Sremmurd's "Black Beatles," Kanye West's "Power,"Rihanna's "Work," his Jack Ü hit "Where Are Ü Now," and more, DJ Diplo instructed the crowd to do jumping jacks in their seats.
When Diplo was away from his pyrotechnic-fueled stage, he was photographed hanging out with Fifth Harmony’s Camila Cabello backstage. Their run-in continues to perpetuate rumours of a forthcoming collaboration, which first started when the two documented their time in the studio together on Snapchat.
Since the unveiling of the Jingle Ball lineup, there was a lot of speculation as to what One Direction’s Niall Horan may offer at his Jingle Ball set -- considering his only track as a standalone act is his acoustic ballad “This Town.”
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Although the Irish singer’s performance was only three minutes long, his vulnerable performance was enough to put the crowd in an everlasting trance. After his brief performance, Horan humbly acknowledged his one-song performance and promised more music in the near future.
"Los Angeles, thank you so much,” he said. “That's all I've got for you for now, but next time I come back, I promise I'll have a few more tunes to play for you."
Original article at iHeartRadio