Rewind it back: 20 of the best music performances of 2024

Upon the success of his Las Vegas residency, it was only right that NFL booked Usher as the halftime performer for Super Bowl LVIII. Not only did Usher’s performance include a medley of some of his hit songs like “Superstar” and “OMG,” but he made sure to pay homage to Black culture. In addition to being supported by Jackson State University’s marching band the Sonic Boom of the South, he also danced alongside members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Usher's performance also included surprise appearances from Alicia Keys, H.E.R., will.i.am, Ludacris, Jermaine Dupri, and Lil Jon. 

In late 2022, Celine Dion announced that she was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, which caused her to cancel tour dates. Fans were unsure if Dion would perform again, but they were excited to hear she was scheduled to perform at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony. She performed her rendition of French singer Édith Piaf's "Hymne A L'Amour,” and it was the first time Dion performed publicly since her diagnosis announcement. Her stunning performance became one of the Olympics' most talked-about moments. 

Following the success of his hit single “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar announced a special concert—The Pop Out: Ken & Friends. When he made the announcement, none of the special guests were revealed. As patrons filled the Kia Forum and fans at home watched on Amazon Prime Video, they were in for a special treat as Ken’s friends included Steve Lacy, Jay Rock, Ty Dolla $ign, ScHoolboy Q, Roddy Ricch, Dr. Dre, Tyler, The Creator, and so many more. 

It’s been almost three decades since LL Cool J last took the MTV Video Music Awards stage. That all changed this year when he led a tribute to the iconic hip-hop record label Def Jam, celebrating its 40th anniversary. He started his set by performing his hit song “Headsprung,” as fans were in the audience wearing his signature red Kangol hat. Chuck D and Flavor Flav of Public Enemy soon joined him on stage to perform “Bring the Noise.” LL then went into a medley of other songs, such as “Mama Said Knock You Out” and “Around the Way Girl.” 

Ryan Gosling brought the best moment of the night as he performed “I’m Just Ken” at the 96th Academy Awards. The song was nominated for Best Original Song as it was a key Gosling performance in the movie Barbie. He started the performance wearing a studded pink suit as he sat behind his Barbie co-star Margot Robbie, before making his way to the main stage. While on stage, he was joined by fellow co-stars Simu Liu and Ben Kingsley-Adair, as well as Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash. 

Victoria Monét proved how she’s a superstar in the making as she brought her talent to the main stage at the BET Awards. This comes just two years after Monét performed at the ceremony’s pre-show, and a year after MTV turned her down at the 2023 Video Music Awards. But Monét didn’t let that stop her, she took the BET stage with confidence and showmanship as she performed her hit songs “On My Mama” and “Alright.” Her set was filled with three costume changes, a water dance element, and an appearance from producer Kaytranada. 

The last time No Doubt performed together was in 2015, and nine years later the band reunited to headline the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Throughout their set, they performed some of their classic hit songs like “Don’t Speak,” “Just a Girl,” and “Hella Good.” The band also brought out rising star Olivia Rodrigo to perform “Bathwater” with them. 

While most fans typically tune in to the main Grammy Awards telecast, there’s also a premiere ceremony that airs online before it, filled with more performances and awards to give out. At this year’s pre-show, gospel legend Kirk Franklin took the audience to church as he and his singers performed “All Things,” “Melodies From Heaven,” and “I Smile.” There was also a point in the set in which Franklin goes out to the audience to hype them up even more. 

Fans who attended Lil Weezyana Fest were in for a real treat when Lil Wayne, Juvenile, B.G., and Turk reunited for the first time in two decades. The Hot Boyz performed a medley of tracks like “We On Fire,” “Get Your Roll On,” and “I Need a Hot Girl.” Juvenile also performed a solo set of “Back That Thang Up,” and B.G. performed “Bling Bling.” Not to mention, Birdman and Mannie Fresh came out on stage as the Big Tymers, making it a full Cash Money Records reunion. 

In 2023, country singer Luke Combs released a cover of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 hit song “Fast Car.” Combs' version saw massive success as it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a No. 1 hit on the Country Airplay chart. At this year’s Grammy Awards, it was a full circle moment as Chapman joined Combs on stage to perform it together, a song that earned the singer her first Grammy Award 35 years ago. 

Just a year after performing at the MTV Video Music Awards pre-show, rising star Sabrina Carpenter made it to the main stage. Carpenter looked angelic descending from the ceiling as she started the performance, singing her song “Please Please Please.” Her set was filled with a space-age theme with astronauts and alien dancers as she also sang her hit singles “Taste” and “Espresso.” 

To help celebrate the 30th anniversary of Essence Fest, Janet Jackson was called on to headline the festival’s final day. Joined by a handful of dancers, Jackson put on nearly an hour set performing her classics such as “Got ‘Til It’s Gone,” “I Get Lonely,” “The Pleasure Principle,” “Rhythm Nation,” and more. 

If you ever catch Tyler, The Creator at a music festival, be prepared to see him have one of the loudest crowd reactions around. Tyler headlined the main Coachella stage with an 80-minute performance filled with songs such as "EARFQUAKE," "WUSYANAME," and "See You Again." He also made sure to keep the audience delighted with special guest appearances from A$AP Rocky, Kali Uchis, Charlie Wilson, and Childish Gambino. 

After Miley Cyrus won her first-ever Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, she soon hit the stage to perform her hit song “Flowers.” During the performance, Cyrus made sure to show off confidence and sass, while encouraging the audience to join her in singing. She also added some lyric adlib to celebrate her recent win singing, “I didn’t want to leave you,“ she then added, “but I had to. I didn’t want to fight—but we did. Started to cry but then remembered—I just won my first Grammy!”

Although the BET Awards has always been about celebrating Black artists, typically in music, the ceremony would only feature artists in hip-hop, R&B, and gospel. That all changed this year when Shaboozey took over the country world, and BET gave him a chance on the main stage. Shaboozey performed his hit single “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” a track that includes an interpolation of J-Kwon’s 2004 song “Tipsy.” However, Shaboozey took his stage time to another level as he united the worlds of country and hip-hop and brought J-Kwon on stage as well. 

One of the cool things about NPR's Tiny Desk Concert is how it gives artists a chance to perform in a super intimate setting. When hip-hop artists pull up to the desk, fans can witness them with a live band arrangement, which isn't always given in typical live rap shows. Hip-hop trio The Lox came to the desk with a few band members as they performed a set list with hit songs such as "All for the Love," "By Your Side," and "Money, Power, Respect." 

Joni Mitchell has been in the music industry since the 1960s, and has won eleven Grammy Awards, which makes it even harder to believe that this year marked the first time the singer performed at the ceremony. During her set of the song “Both Sides, Now,” Mitchell is first sitting in a chair with her back towards the audience. As the pianist and violinists continue to play, Mitchell’s chair turns around and the venue is heard with applause. At the end of her performance, the audience adored Mitchell with a standing ovation. 

The American Music Awards celebrated its 50th anniversary and it was a star-studded event filled with legendary artists. Not too many artists have come close to the career of Mariah Carey. Throughout her career, she’s won eight AMAs, so it was only right that the platform called on Carey to perform at the event. Although the AMAs promoted her performance as a medley, that wasn’t the case when the show aired. Nonetheless, fans were pleased to see her walk on stage in her evening gown as she sang her 2005 single “We Belong Together.” 

GloRilla brought choreography, fashion, and showmanship to her performance for the MTV Video Music Awards. She started her set with her track “Yeah Glo!,” before she went into her latest hit single “TGIF.” While she was performing the latter, there was one point in which GloRilla’s top came loose. Luckily, one of her dancers looked out for her and was able to get the top snapped in place before any other wardrobe snafu. Shoutout to women looking out for fellow women!

Burna Boy made history as the first-ever Afrobeats artist to perform at the Grammy Awards. He was joined on stage by dancers and a band as he performed “On Form” and “City Boys.” Burna then surprised the crowd as he brought R&B legend Brandy and rapper 21 Savage on stage to perform his hit song “Sittin’ On Top of the World.”