Olivia Rodrigo, Niall Horan, Sabrina Carpenter, Miguel & More Kick Off the Holiday Season at 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball

The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour Presented by Capital One is back in full swing, and their star-studded show kicked off the holiday season in Los Angeles on Friday (December 1).

Thousands of pop music fans flocked to the Kia Forum in Inglewood to see some of this year’s biggest names in music, including Olivia Rodrigo, Niall Horan, Sabrina Carpenter, AJR, Miguel, Doechii, Flo Rida, (G)I-DLE, Teddy Swims and P1Harmony at 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball 2023.

Chilly temperatures and rain in the Southern California forecast didn’t stop the hundreds of fans that packed the venue’s parking lot for the annual pre-show village earlier in the day, which featured performances from artists like charlieonafriday and Gunnar, while Teddy Swims, Paul Russell and P1Harmony gave fans an early sneak peek of what they’d be performing inside at the main show.

“It was incredible. The crowd was awesome, the energy out there was great, the weather was nice… it was perfect. I couldn’t have asked for any more,” Gunnar tells Celeb Secrets host Juliet Schroder on the red carpet backstage following his pre-show performance. “I’ve come to Jingle Ball my entire life, so to be here performing and be part of what iHeartRadio is doing is so special.”

With the big show starting exactly at 7:30pm, Teddy Swims kicked things off with performances of his hit songs “Goodbye’s Been Good to You,” “The Door” and “Loose Control.” Performing on multiple Jingle Ball dates this month, Swims says he’s been having the time of his life on the road and connecting with fans and just “can’t stop smiling” while taking it all in.

“I’m so grateful to be here. I’m having the time of my life with my best buds,” Teddy shares with Celeb Secrets backstage following his performance. “[I love doing] this. You get to just talk and connect with people and love on people… I just can’t stop smiling. My cheeks have been hurting and that’s my favorite part… sore cheeks,” he laughs.

Ryan Seacrest then made his way onstage to introduce (G)I-DLE, who displayed impressive in-sync choreography before artists like Doechii and Miguel and P1Harmony had the crowd on their feet singing along to some of their biggest hits this year.

It was a big night for Paul Russell, as he not only took the stage at both the pre-show village and the main event, but also because he is living out his lifelong dream of performing songs he made in his bedroom to sold-out crowds in arenas across the country.

Speaking with Celeb Secrets backstage about his time on the Jingle Ball tour, Russell says, “This is insane to me. The ‘Lil Boo Thang’ song I wrote in my bedroom, and so now like having thousands of people that I’m about to sing it in front of is just like… ‘this doesn’t make any sense.'”

The excitement didn’t stop there, as AJR got concertgoers jumping up and down thanks to their heavy instrument based, show-stopping performance of her songs like “Way Less Sad,” “World’s Smallest Violin,” “Yes I’m A Mess,” “Weak” and “Bang.” The trio of brothers even gave fans an inside look at how they make some of their biggest hits thanks to funny anecdotes that showed their true personalities. Additionally, Sabrina Carpenter had the opportunity to bring her biggest hits to the Jingle Ball stage, setting the bar high for what was to come from the final few performers. Dressed as dressed as #SabrinaClause, music’s newest it-girl wowed the crowd singing her holiday hits “It’s Not New Years Yet” and “Santa,” as well as fan-favorite hits “feather,” “Because I liked a Boy” and “nonsense,” which she ended with a special Jingle Ball-themed outro.

All eyes were on Flo Rida at the Kia Forum as he made his way through the venue singing some of his timeless hits. He even surprised the audience with a joint performance with hip-hop icon Flavor Flav, who helped him sing epic renditions of songs like “Right Round,” “My House,” “Wild One,” “Low” and more.

Niall Horan followed by giving fans a tease of what’s to come from The Show: Live on Tour next year with red and yellow-themed set design and a guitar in hand singing songs such as “Heaven,” “This Town,” and “Slow Hands.”

The night closed out with the Olivia Rodrigo giving the fans the ultimate Christmas gift of all — a high-energy set featuring some of her biggest hits, including “get him back,” “deja vu,” “vampire,” “driver’s license,” “brutal,” and “good 4 u.” She has the entire arena dancing in their seats while screaming along her angsty, relatable lyrics that catapulted her into stardom.

102.7 KIIS FM’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2023 is the third stop of the national iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, the season’s biggest annual music event that captures the holiday spirit of the iHeartRadio app, with performances by this year’s biggest artists in Tampa, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Atlanta with its final show on December 16th in Miami/Fort Lauderdale. You can relive some of the best moments from the tour on Wednesday, December 21 when ABC airs a two-hour TV special showcasing the iconic holiday tour beginning at 8PM ET/PT. The event will also be available for streaming beginning next day on Hulu. You can click here for a full list of dates, performers, and ticket links to see when the tour will be hitting your city.

Want more from 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball? Click through the playlist below for interviews with celebs from the red carpet:

For more Jingle Ball coverage, click here.