‘Tis the season for… amazing music performances! The annual iHeartRadio Jingle Ball, which took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City last night (Dec. 12) brought a serious line-up of heavy-hitting pop stars worth fangirling over. The red carpet was literally jam-packed with the likes of Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, Iggy Azalea, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Jessie J and Charli XCX.
It’s tough to pick but here were some highlights: “Boom Clap” singer Charli XCX (below) walking the red carpet in a sheer white slip dress with marabou puffs over, ahem, strategic areas. Onstage, the Brit did a wardrobe change into a peppy cheerleader uniform with “Sucker,” the title of her recent album, emblazoned on the chest.
Then there was Swift, who knew how to “Shake it Off.” She sang her bona fide hit at midnight just as she turned 25– talk about a sweet way to ring in a quarter of a century.
But perhaps our fave was the adorable Ariana Grande (top), who channeled the best of the season in sequined antlers and was flanked by backup dancers dressed like candy canes. The petite Grande wowed with her voice of course, but also took it to a personal level, dedicating her last song to brother Frankie Grande. Her number one fan, Frankie raved earlier to us on his sis’ performance at the recent Victoria’s Secret fashion show. “It was really phenomenal,” he said. “She really killed it; she looked gorgeous, she sounded amazing. I wasn’t prepared for her to sing four songs—I had no idea what was actually going to happen, and it was a rainbow runway, and it was a lot for me to process. It was amazing.
”RELATED: InStyle Stays Up All Night with Ariana Grande