Get to know the superstars who will be taking over the stage at this year’s Q102 Jingle Ball!
This year’s Q102 Jingle Ball presented by Capital One is going to be EPIC! With a lineup of superstar artists taking over the stage at Wells Fargo Center on Monday, December 12th, it will be the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season!
Performing at the 2022 Q102 Jingle Ball is Sam Smith, with special guest Kim Petras, Charlie Puth, AJR, Khalid, Tate McRae, Lauv, Ava Max, Jax & Nicky
Keep scrolling to learn everything you need to know about our Q102 Jingle Ball lineup!
Sam Smith
- Sam Smith is a huge Lady Gaga fan, and they even once skipped school to lineup for her album The Fame Monster. "Oh, yes! I am a huge fan of Gaga," they revealed. "Gaga, when I was 16, was my everything. Fame Monster, bunked school, queued overnight, did the whole thing."
- They’ve also gone on the record saying that “We Found Love” by Rihanna and Calvin Harris is their favorite pop song ever. “When I moved to London, I remember that being the song that just changed my life. And still, to this day, I feel like, I think my favorite pop song of all time.”
- Sam and Normani performed their hit “Dancing With A Stranger'' together for the first time ever at the 2019 Jingle Ball Tour.
Charlie Puth
- Charlie Puth, whose full name is Charles Otto Puth Jr., got his start on YouTube sharing comedy and acoustic covers on his “Charlie’s Vlogs” channel.
- In addition to being an incredibly talented musician, Puth also has perfect pitch, a “weird” talent he has shown off in several interviews. “It’s like I can hear the note before it even [is played],” he told Jimmy Kimmel, adding that it’s a skill he’s had since he was 12.
- While some fans may think his distinctive eyebrow slit is a style choice, it’s actually a scar from a dog attack when he was 2 years old.
AJR
- Earlier this year, AJR confirmed that they were making their long-awaited dream come true of writing music for a Broadway musical. The trio of brothers teamed up to compose new, original songs for a production based on the beloved children’s book, Harold and the Purple Crayon.
- AJR — Adam, Jack and Ryan Met — shared with iHeartRadio last year that Blue Man Group was an inspiration to them as performers, particularly on their tour this year: “We remember seeing the Blue Man Group when we were really young, and being really confused… and thinking, ‘I don’t know what they could possibly do next,’ and then they do it, and it relates back to something that they did earlier, like ‘oh my god, how’d they even think of this stuff?’ I’m glad I was confused because now it’s amazing how it’s paid off.”
- AJR often break down all the unique sounds that come together to build the hit songs their fans know and love, including a New York City subway conductor's announcement. The brothers spotlight each unique sound on their social media channels, and even took time to do it on stage during the 2021 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball.
Khalid
- Khalid has yet to slow down after he dropped four new singles this year. He kicked things off with “Last Call,” which dropped on the 5-year anniversary of his debut album American Teen. He followed up with “Skyline” shortly afterward.
- During the summer, Khalid teamed up with Marshmello for their latest collaboration “Numb.” Both artists reunited five years after serving up their first joint effort “Silence.” The duo joined forces on stage to perform the song at the 2022 MTV VMAs last month. “I’m so excited about the song with Marshmello. Every time we work together it’s just like we never left,” Khalid said.
- Khalid recently provided some context about his upcoming album. He told Elvis Duran and Diamond that he wants his album to give nothing but “happy vibes.” He also won’t have any other features on the album.
Tate McRae
- One of Tate McRae’s biggest songs is “she’s all i wanna be,” and it almost sounded completely different. Tate told iHeartRadio earlier this year that the upbeat song we all know and love “initially started as a really sad ballad, and then we did a full 180 and changed it into this punk song, which is cool.” Now, it’s “the most satisfying feeling” that listeners can relate to it: “Everyone’s going through the same thing, they just don’t even realize it.”
- Tate’s latest album, i used to think i could fly, almost released a week sooner than it actually did. She revealed on TikTok that she pushed her album’s release date back one week so she “could fully enjoy” Harry Styles’ highly-anticipated third studio album, Harry’s House. Tate confidently added later: “not even kidding, ask my label.”
- Tate previously pointed out two “Leading Ladies” as role models to her: Zendaya and Jennifer Lopez. Tate said Zendaya is “honestly, one of the classiest, most bad-ass people I've ever seen,” and Jennifer is “the type of woman that I want to be when I grow up, is someone who can touch around in all realms [and] still be fire at everything. She's incredible.”
Lauv
- Lauv just hit the Daytime Stage at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Festival. During his set, he shared the background story of his hit "Modern Loneliness.” Lauv said the song has a special meaning to him because he felt like he was isolated and lonely when he was growing up.
- Right before the iHeartRadio Music Festival, Lauv put on a once-in-a-lifetime performance at the launch of iHeartLand's State Farm Park on Roblox. He delivered several fan favorites like "I'm So Tired" and "I Like Me Better.” The pop singer also spoke with iHeartRadio's JoJo Wright in between songs and answered questions about his latest album All 4 Nothing
- Lauv celebrated the release of his All 4 Nothing album last month. During his album release party, he debuted new songs like "Stranger" and "Kids Are Born Stars." A few days later, he kicked off his North American tour in Minneapolis and wrapped up in Las Vegas last Saturday.
Ava Max
- Ava's real name is Amanda Koci, but she gave herself the nickname Ava when she was 13.
- Ava Max is flattered by Lady Gaga comparisons."It’s funny, people compare me to her, but I think she’s such a legend, and she’s untouchable to me. I think she’s as– I see her as iconic. So that’s such a compliment every time I hear that."
- After releasing "Sweet but Psycho" in August 2018, the song peaked at number one in 22 countries.
Jax
- Jax competed on the 14th season of American Idol in 2015. She made it all the way to third place on the competition series by showing off her impressive range with songs like “Empire State of Mind” by Alicia Keys and “Piece of My Heart” by Janis Joplin.
- In August 2016, Jax announced she was battling thyroid cancer but has since declared she is cancer-free.
- Her viral hit “Victoria’s Secret” was inspired by a young girl she babysits who was feeling insecure about her body.
Nicky Youre
- “Youre” is Nicky’s stage name, but it's not too far off from his real name, which is Nicholas Ure.
- Nicky quit his job selling computers and hardware for Dell to pursue a career in music. His coworkers were very supportive of his decision telling him, “Dude, you have to do this. Like, you’d be so dumb not to quit right now,” after his song “Sunroof” took off.
- Youre played water polo while attending Aliso Niguel High School. He even played in the 2016 CIF Southern Section Division 3 Championship Game and was recognized as Play of the Week in 2016. He continued playing water polo at Golden West College.