It is my senior year and I promised myself that I would make more bold and fun decisions. So that is exactly why I decided to skip the last day of the fall quarter and jam out at 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball Pre-Show Village. If you are not familiar with the Jingle Ball village, it is a pre-show where artists come to showcase their talent before the official Jingle Ball concert takes place. Many of the attendees were fans hoping to be the lucky winners of tickets to Jingle Ball where worldwide sensations like BTS, Lizzo and Billie Eilish would perform that night.
The first performer on stage was Breanna Rubio. This dance-pop vocalist came through with a bold stage presence. The colorful chrome outfits that she and her dancers donned grabbed everyone’s attention. But what kept my eyes glued to the stage was how well choreographed the entire performance was. Rubio had such a commanding presence. She was leading the pack and they moved in cohesion. Breanna ended the performance by giving the audience a sneak peak to her new single music video “Bad Side”. Keep a watch out for its release!
Up next was Camie Liz who came on stage with the most bubbly atmosphere. It was not a coincidence that as soon as she started singing, the stormy clouds departed to bathe her in an angelic light. Liz is known as a triple threat with her experience in singing, songwriting and acting. Not only did she perform her own rendition of Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas Is You” but she also showed off her new original song “Maybe”. The song just dropped so you can listen on repeat now!
The next performer was Scotty Sire! I have been a follower of the red-haired vlogger and recording artist for some time now. If you are unfamiliar with Sire you may recognize him as a member of the famous Vlog Squad with well-known members such as David Dobrik and Jason Nash. But aside from his identity as a Vlog Squad member, Sire is also an established recording artist. Now I had already seen snippets of his shows on YouTube but they were nothing like the real deal. Immediately as he got on stage, he filled the air with wild and explosive energy. Sire sang some of his hits like “Notice Me” and “What’s Going On”. He concluded his set with surprise guests Heath Hussar and Mariah Amato, who joined in on singing the holiday break-up anthem “Lonely Christmas”. I am glad I got to finally cross him off my list of “must-see performers”.
After Sire’s performance was pop and R&B singer, AJ Mitchell. Mitchell was sporting a fresh new cut as he took on the audience. His soothing performances were a nice way to calm the crowd as his ethereal voice reverberated around the village. Mitchell got his start back in 2017 with his original song “Used To Be”. The star performed the song, admitting that he wrote it when he was 13 years old. He certainly won me over as a new fan.
By this time, the sun was setting on the village and the audience was getting restless. Luckily it was time for the dynamic boy-band In Real Life to pump everyone up. The group consisted of Brady Tutton, Chance Perez, Drew Ramos, Sergio Calderon and Conor Smith. These five talented boys got their big break after winning the American reality television competition, “Boy Band” in 2017. Since then they have been growing exponentially and growing their album “She Do”. While catching the eyes and hearts of many audience members, they flawlessly harmonized with each other, like a fine tuned instrument. Speaking of instruments, the group’s rapper, Connor Smith, busted out his black and classy electric violin which he has been playing since he was six years old. The group ended their performance by singing happy birthday to beloved member Brady Tutton who just turned 18.
The most anticipated performance was none other than Louis Tomlinson. Tomlinson was primarily known as a past member of the world-wide famous boy band, One Direction. Since its division, the optimistic singer has been working on his solo-career and fans have taken notice. The minute he stepped on stage the air became electrifying. The audience was made up of all types of fans from newly minted to die-hard. He commanded the stage like it was nothing, as he boldly danced up and down the stage while interacting with fans. His stage presence and enthusiasm was infectious to say the least. Everyone was either crying or had a permanent smile plastered to their face by the end of his new song “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart.”
Even though I ultimately did not score free tickets to Jingle Ball, I still came out as a winner. I got to see some of my favorite artists and added some new favorites to my Spotify playlists. If you missed this year’s Jingle Ball, do not fret, go follow some of these artists because they have big upcoming shows planned for the next year!
Image Credit: Pamela Abeka