This year’s Jingle Ball at TD Garden featured an array of guests ranging from artists that are icons of our time with classic songs to up and coming artists that are the icons of the new generation. 

This year’s line-up was Katseye, The Kid Laroi, Meghan Trainor, Kesha, Twenty One Pilots, Benson Boone, and Tate Mcrae. 

First up was Katseye, a global girl group based in LA that is the first under a label that traditionally only had K-Pop groups. The 6 members were chosen through a competition show called Popstar academy on Netflix. Debuting only earlier this year, they have definitely made a splash in the music scene with songs like Debut and Touch, in a time where K-Pop gets more popular each year in the States. 

Going in, I was already a big fan of Katseye and their performance certainly sealed the deal. They had amazing vocals and the fact that they have choreographed dances for each song made it all the more impressive.

It was also nice to see their appreciation for being able to play at Jingle Ball, and thanking their fans for supporting them. Considering that their fans were likely the minority in the crowd, they weren’t shy to point them out; even I was pointed at from the stage since I did not hold back on showing my support. 

Next up was The Kid Laroi, who is a rapper and singer from Australia who has collaborated with huge artists such as STAY ft. Justin Bieber and one of his biggest songs currently, NIGHTS LIKE THIS. 

Despite the fact that he did not know his mic was off for the first 2 songs, the rest of his performance was really enjoyable and it was clear that he was really having fun with his songs and the performance. He was also one of the only artists that did a Christmas song, as he did a cover of Last Christmas, one of the best Christmas songs ever. 

After him was Meghan Trainor, who most people know for songs like Dear Future Husband, All about that Bass, and her newer song, I Made You Look. She is actually from Nantucket as well, and made it clear how happy she was to be back in her home state. 

Even if I don’t like her new songs that much, I had a lot of fun when she played her classic songs, since they were essentially a part of the soundtrack of my childhood. Her joy on stage was contagious. 

After Meghan Trainor was Kesha, truly an icon of the early 2010s and another artist that I vividly remember from my childhood. She played songs like TiK ToK, Blow, Take it off, and her new song Delusional.

Her performance was truly one of the most memorable of the night, mostly because of her backup dancers. One second they were in ski masks with 4 foot long braids attached, and the next they had dog masks on. It was also funny to see her lack of choreography next to them considering all the theatrics going on 2 feet away from her as she sang. 

Next up was Twenty One Pilots, with songs like Stressed Out, Heathens, and Ride. They also left their mark in the early to mid 2010s with their songs that would be surprising if someone didn’t know.

Mid-way through their performance, Tyler Joseph strayed from their set to perform Christmas songs on the piano for his 5 year old daughter. It was really sweet because the drummer, Josh Dun, grabbed Joseph’s phone and recorded him and the crowd singing along to songs like Rudolph the red nosed reindeer and Jingle Bells. 

The second to last performer was Benson Boone, who was actually a contestant on American Idol and is the artist behind one of the most popular songs of the year, Beautiful Things.

I had not known who he was before the show, but he definitely made an interesting first impression considering that he did a cartwheel into a flip coming onto stage. 

The crowd screamed at the mention of his name, so clearly he was one of the most anticipated performers of the night. His performance was certainly one I will remember with his powerful voice delivering heartfelt lyrics . 

Closing out the night was Tate McRae, an artist that has definitely taken the world by storm in the last few years. She had originally gained popularity from covers on Youtube, and started to take off when she started sharing her original songs.

She was definitely one of my favorite performers of the night along with Katseye, my favorite part being when she came on stage recreating the iconic Jingle Bell Rock performance from Mean Girls.

Even as someone who doesn’t listen to most of the artists that performed, I still had a great time. Jingle Ball and other festivals like Lollapalooza or Coachella are perfect to go to with friends or even family, since there really is someone for everyone. With artists having a time limit, they always play their newest songs or top hits, so everyone is bound to find songs they recognize and can sing along to.