00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the live
00:10performances that had everyone singing along. For this list, we're sticking to
00:14performances that were widely available via TV or streaming.
00:17Number 10, Tate McRae, 42nd MTV Video Music Awards. One of music's rising pop
00:29sensations put her dancing background to good use at the VMAs.
00:45Former So You Think You Can Dance contestant and newly minted hitmaker Tate McRae turned up the heat
00:50with a sultry performance of two singles, Revolving Door and Sports Car. The dark and decadent set
00:56piece sees her singing as her scantily clad dancers pose like statues. Then McRae herself gets in on the action.
01:09She completely commits to the choreography just as much as her team of dancers.
01:13Her voice, which is naturally breathy, doesn't seem to be affected at all.
01:26Number 9, Bad Bunny, Bad Bunny, Tiny Desk Concert. The Puerto Rican rapper-singer's gritty vocals and
01:33incredible felicity with heartfelt storytelling are on full display in this Tiny Desk presentation.
01:39The half-hour set mostly features songs from his album, Debi Tirar Mas Fotos. Bad Bunny and his band
01:56play with such assured technique and ease that this simultaneously feels like a musical masterclass
02:01and just a bunch of friends casually hanging out.
02:13Just as impressive as the man himself are his energetic and supremely talented musicians.
02:18Every single person in the NPR studio looks like they're having a great time.
02:22The vibes are immaculate. Number 8, Olivia Rodrigo, 39th Glastonbury Festival.
02:39The driver's licensed singer made a triumphant return to the stage of the UK's world-famous
02:54music festival. Olivia Rodrigo was a major headliner at Glastonbury 2025 and more than lived up to her
03:01prime performance slot.
03:14Clocking in at almost an hour and a half, Rodrigo's modern pop appeal and her love of classic rock were
03:20on full display. Proof? Look no further than her duet with Robert Smith, the legendary lead singer of
03:25The Cure.
03:37As she sang her face off and hopped around the stage in her sparkly Union Jack shorts,
03:42she further cemented her place as a force in music. Number 7, Lady Gaga, 6th Netflix to Dumb.
03:48The undeniable highlight of the streaming giant's annual fan convention was a medley of bangers from
03:54Mother Monster herself.
04:07Lady Gaga's performance of creepy, kooky hits tied in with Netflix's Wednesday series,
04:12but she owns the stage. The Addams-inspired performance even included a Jenna Ortega appearance.
04:18How Ortega manages to sit at a dinner table while Lady Gaga and her dancers tear it up
04:30is anyone's guess, but that's why she's a perfect Wednesday. But Gaga is the star here. She's in top
04:36vocal form and totally locked in. The iconic choreo, the conceptual stagecraft, and theatrical
04:49energy feels as exciting as her most unforgettable early performances. Number 6, Chapel Roan, 67th annual
04:56Grammy Awards. Capping off an incredible year, the pop music supernova took her victory lap at the
05:02Grammy Awards in February. The same evening she walked away with the award for Best New Artist,
05:15Chapel Roan performed her flamboyant ode to art and freedom, Pink Pony Club. Buoyed by a troupe of
05:21dancers and perched atop a magnificent Pink Pony, Roan seems to be living out the song's inspiring message
05:27of an artist living her truth. It takes a lot of skill to make a heavily choreographed stage show
05:44look like a real party, and if you can get the crowd at the Grammys singing your song,
05:48you know you've made it. Number 5, Hayley Williams, The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. With her
06:04third solo album, the lead singer of Paramore explored new emotional depths. In October,
06:09Hayley Williams performed True Believer on The Tonight Show.
06:12Tourists tumbled down Broadway, Cumberland keeps claiming bodies.
06:19The song is a mournful, soul-bearing elegy about the state of the world. With powerful references
06:24to the history of racism in America, her disillusionment, pain, and anger are palpable
06:29throughout the song. They say that Jesus is the way, but then they gave him a white face.
06:36The performance ends with a few bars from the powerful protest song, Strange Fruit,
06:41Accompanied by a band and an entire string section,
06:44it feels poignant and bigger than just a performance on The Tonight Show. It's a moment.
07:00Number 4, Youngblood, Back to the Beginning. Paying tribute to a legend at his own concert is a tall
07:05order. Youngblood rose to the occasion.
07:14Weeks before his death, rock legend Ozzy Osbourne joined Black Sabbath and special guests for one
07:20final show at the massive Villa Park Stadium in Birmingham. However, it was Osbourne's friend,
07:25Youngblood, who stole the show.
07:33Joined by musicians from other incredible bands, his full-throated, searing cover is a fitting tribute
07:39to a legend. Youngblood performed the song at the VMAs later in the year, but watching him do it for
07:44thousands of tearful and grateful Ozzy fans just can't be beat.
07:48Wish I could go back and change easier.
07:57Number 3, Sabrina Carpenter, 42nd MTV Video Music Awards.
08:02The artist behind Espresso showcased her sense of humor and old-fashioned razzle-dazzle at the
08:16year's Grammy Awards. However, it was a performance for her latest album that set the VMAs on fire.
08:22Sabrina Carpenter folded an overt political message into her live recreation of her fun,
08:35sexy hit Tears. She performed alongside an ensemble of drag performers made famous by RuPaul's Drag Race,
08:42flying in the face of ongoing political narratives.
08:53Carpenter was able to stand out in a truly star-studded ceremony. It was pure campy fun
08:58and completely over the top, the way the VMAs should be.
09:02Number 2, Dochi, 67th Annual Grammy Awards. It says a lot that she performed in the midst of a
09:08medley featuring the nominees for Best New Artist, but Dochi took her three minutes and made them
09:13count. This medley of Catfish and Denial is a River is packed with wow moments at every turn.
09:27The dancers are impossibly good here, moving with all the fluid precision of moving props.
09:32It amounts to a perfect encapsulation of Dochi's catchy lyrics,
09:36sense of humor, and athletic performance style.
09:48She had the biggest stars in the house on their feet by the end. If you didn't know her before,
09:52you definitely won't forget her now.
09:54I mean what? I like pills, I like drugs, I like getting money, I like strippers, I like to
09:59uh, like day drinking and day parties in Hollywood, I like doing Hollywood-ish, more than Hollywood.
10:04What can I say?
10:05Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:09Benson Boone, Saturday Night Live. The in-studio audience flipped for the dreamy singer and his velvety voice.
10:15I wouldn't mind it if you gave me just a little bit of something we can work it with,
10:21but all you do is push me out.
10:26Ray, 67th Annual Grammy Awards. The British singer-songwriter left it all on the Grammys stage.
10:32Alex Warren, 51st Annual American Music Awards. A powerful,
10:48choir-backed version of the Billboard chart-topper.
11:05Doja Cat, 42nd MTV Video Music Awards. All the 80s references and funky retro moves you could want.
11:18You wanna do what now with who? I don't need a pin drop or a text tonight. I ain't even coming out with you.
11:23You don't wanna show me off to your ex and your friends tonight.
11:26Glorilla, Saturday Night Live. An energetic rendition of her Billboard hit on the SNL stage.
11:32Everything I got on new, it look like I got renovated. I'm cocky, but now we're just humble.
11:37They damn appreciate it. Junk with it, ratchet. I'm the hood, women, motivation.
11:42On top of the world now, they tried to underestimate it.
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12:011. Kendrick Lamar, Apple Music's Super Bowl 59 Halftime Show.
12:16Talk about an artist putting the period on a great year. Kendrick Lamar delivered a Super Bowl
12:20halftime show to remember with assists from SZA, Serena Williams, producer Mustard, and Samuel L.
12:27Jackson as Uncle Sam. By almost any metric, Lamar had already won his ongoing beef with Drake.
12:42But even when the rapper performed key songs in that drama, including Not Like Us,
12:46it felt bigger than a war between two artists.
12:59Like his Pulitzer Prize or numerous Grammys, it was another reminder of why he's one of the most
13:03important and commanding artists of this or any decade. What performances did we miss? Support your
13:09fave in the comments.
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