NEW YORK — If you wanted to make a time capsule of what happened in pop music this year, Friday night’s Jingle Ball — the annual extravaganza held in Madison Square Garden put on by pop station Z100 — would most likely provide the most accurate account.
There was Pharrell — with the hat— crooning his hit “Happy”; Iggy Azalea rapping and posturing as she breezed through “Fancy”; Jessie J and Ariana Grande playfully one-upping each other in the power-vocal showcase smash “Bang Bang”; and Meghan Trainor serving sass on what was arguably the song of the year, “All About That Bass.”
But the king and queen of the night (and perhaps the year) were Sam Smith and Taylor Swift. Their separate performances couldn’t have been less alike: Smith was all about stately R&B while Swift brought her perky pop. But they were the emotional highlights, capturing the hearts of fans who expressed their approval with ear-piercing shrieks and screams.
“I am the only person who asks you to scream loudly tonight who is about to turn 25 in 10 minutes,” Swift told the crowd shortly before she celebrated her birthday.
Smith, the newcomer who last week was nominated for six Grammys including record, song and album of the year, was the most unlikely pop star of the bunch; he sings traditional, downtempo soul songs and doesn’t dance; his signature look is a drab suit and his wide, doleful eyes.
But his searing, soulful voice has made him among the most acclaimed artists of the year, and fans at Jingle Ball, who range all ages but skew heavily toward the tween and teen set, were captivated by it as he powered through songs like “I’m Not the Only One,” “Latch” and his signature hit, “Stay With Me.”
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