Billboard Hot 100 Festival: Desiigner Crowd Surfs, Ariana Grande Brings Out Mac Miller & More
By Rachel Kaplan
August 22, 2016
Over the weekend, the second annual Billboard Hot 100 Festival hit New York with a strong lineup of chart-toppers from all genres, including Calvin Harris, Ariana Grande, Desiigner and many more. From the blazing sets to impromptu surprise guests, there was no shortage of eye-dazzling moments on and off stage. iHeartRadio was on-site for all of magic and have some of the best moments from the two-day festival.
1. Nathan Sykes brought his powerful, soulful vocals to Day 1 of the festival, opening his set with “Kiss Me Quick” and even did a funky cover of Shawn Mendes' "Stitches." We caught up with him around the concourse, where he told us how excited he was to start his U.S. tour with Alessia Cara and Ruth B in September.
2. Niykee Heaton’s single, “Bad Intentions,” went gold last week and she was ecstatic as she shared that with the crowd on Saturday before performing the hit!
3. The last time we saw Gryffin, he was doing a DJ set at Mad Decent Block Party in Brooklyn. This time he brought instruments, and watching him do his thing on stage is pretty dope. His remix of Ellie Goulding’s “Burn,” Tove Lo’s “Talking Body,” and Years & Years’ “King,” were all on the setlist. He also performed his new song “Whole Heart,” which he teased just days before the show. He worked on it with Bipolar Sunshine and it’s set for release this Friday. Crista Ru from Powers joined Gryffin onstage, too!
5. Martin Garrix ran into some transportation issues getting from Ibiza to New York, but luckily he made it in time for his Hot 100 set. Before hitting the stage, a piano version of “Animals” played. He ended his set with “In the Name of Love,” his new song featuring Bebe Rexha.
6. Later on, Swae Lee, who makes up half of Rae Sremmurd, enjoyed a pineapple onstage during an energy-filled set. Slim Jimmy and Swae Lee performed new songs from their sophomore album, SremmLife 2, which dropped on August 12, as well as classics like “No Flex Zone.”
7. For one of the final performances of Day 1, we turned to the one and only Ariana Grande. She opened her set with “Bang Bang,” which she performed with Nicki Minaj at our 2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival. During the set, she brought out a surprise guest: rapper Mac Miller to perform their 2013 collab “The Way.” We also spotted Ariana’s mom taking videos of the crowd and waving from a balcony above the stage.
8. We started Day 2 off with one half of SeeB, the DJ duo behind some of your favorite pop remixes like Shawn Mendes’ “Stitches,” Coldplay and Beyoncé’s “Hymn for the Weekend,” and Mike Posner’s “I Took a Pill in Ibiza.” Simen Eriksud took spinning duties and offered the crowd a string of hits records. Even though they've been producing for a while, they played their first show ever in June!
9. Country’s rising star Brooke Eden kicked things off with her single, “Daddy’s Money,” followed by a cover of Elle King’s “Ex’s and Oh’s” and James Bay’s “Hold Back the River” during her set on Sunday.
10. Skylar Grey has a song on the Suicide Squad soundtrack called “Wreak Havoc,” so it only make sense that she perform the record alongside her drummer and DJ. She also teased a ton of new music from her upcoming album, Natural Causes, set for release on September 23!
11. As a kid from New York, Cal Shapiro of Timeflies would go to shows at Jones Beach, waiting in the parking lot for tickets. To be freestyling on the mainstage at Hot 100 Fest, where J. Cole and Calvin Harris were performing later that night, was a dream. What would a Timeflies set be without a freestyle? Words — mostly New York staples including Shake Shack, Pizza, Knicks, and Rangers — scrolled on the jumbotron behind the duo while Cal incorporated them into a song. Bonus points to Rez, who also made an epic mashup of “Panda” by Desiigner and “All I Do is Win” by DJ Khaled for the freestyle.
12. Rain did not stop Galantis and their fans from raging heavy. Seafox even made an appearance! Christian Karlsson and Linus Eklow love taking instruments from the studio onstage and incorporated a lot of drums and pads into their set.
13. J. Cole took fans through songs off of 2014 Forest Hills Drive. He also delivered the hits, including “Can’t Get Enough” and “Power Trip.”
14. Audien played his new song, “Crazy Love,” which he released just two days before his Hot 100 performance. Needless to say, fans jammed out in the rain.
15. Keeping the EDM energy flowing, we went over to see Marshmello, who brought out some very special guests during his set. First up, we were treated to an appearance by Slushii … followed by Christian Karlsson from Galantis!
16. And yet, we weren't prepared for what Desiigner had up his sleeve. During his set, the rapper delivered the craziest, most energetic performance of the weekend, offering the crowd with one intense crowd surf.
16. With an epic stage hovering many feet above the ground, Calvin Harris showed us what we came for as he played hit after hit. Flames and fireworks sprouted out of the stage during Calvin’s set, and “Blame” ended the second annual Billboard Hot 100 Festival!
Photo: Rachel Kaplan for iHeartRadio