For over five decades, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve has been the staple of countless New Year’s Eve celebrations. With 75% of Americans staying up until midnight to ring in the New Year, many continue to tune into the 4-hour-long New York City celebration on ABC.
Ryan Seacrest returned to host the Times Square festivities along with co-host Rita Ora. The celebration extended far beyond New York with Puerto Rican actress Dayanara Torres hosting from Puerto Rico and former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski and television perosnailty Jeannie Mai on the West Coast with a party in Las Vegas. This year’s show was filled with legendary artists and milestone celebrations. Let’s take a look at this year’s top moments.
Iconic Throwbacks
The highlight of this New Year’s Rockin’ Eve was its inclusion of so many well-known artists and their biggest songs. Kesha kicked off the night with her 2010 anthem “TiK ToK,” perfectly setting the tone for the evening. Lenny Kravitz rocked the stage with “Fly Away” and “Are You Gonna Go My Way?” and TLC played their hits “Waterfalls” and “No Scrubs.”
For those feeling a sense of nostalgia with so many older songs, Luis Fonsi continued with his viral 2017 song “Despacito,” along with “Échame La Culpa.” He gave a truly electric performance to his hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Carrie Underwood sang a medley of her songs, including fan-favorite “Before He Cheats” just before midnight. This upcoming year will be the 20th anniversary since Carrie Underwood won the fourth season of American Idol back in 2005. Carrie described the excitement of performing to all of the fans in Times Square, “I have such fun memories of performing on New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in Times Square in both 2007 and 2015, and I’m so excited to perform just before the ball drops again this year.”
A Year of Anniversaries
But Carrie Underwood’s American Idol anniversary was not the only milestone celebrated during the New Year’s Eve broadcast. Natasha Bedingfield’s confetti filled performance of “Unwritten” comes 20 years after the song was originally released in 2004.
The Jonas Brothers celebrated 20 years as a band, debuting back in 2005. Kevin, Joe, and Nick first took the New Year’s stage back in 2007, when they collaborated with fellow Disney Channel star Miley Cyrus. The Jonas brothers have appeared both together and solo on Rockin’ Eve eight times throughout the past two-decades. This year, during their highly anticipated performance just after the clock struck midnight, the trio performed “Play My Music,” a nostalgic throwback to their Camp Rock and Disney Channel days. They continued with “Sucker” and a cover of “Dreams” by The Cranberries. The brothers also announced an upcoming song with Marshmello dropping on January 17th and a 2025 tour.
But the most noteworthy anniversary of the night belonged to Ryan Seacrest. This year marked Ryan Seacrest’s 20th anniversary of hosting Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. A touching montage of Ryan’s most memorable moments over the years was played, honoring his legacy since he first co-hosted with Dick Clark in 2005. Ryan continued to host with Dick Clark up until his death in 2012. Seacrest kept the energy high alongside co-host Rita Ora, who also dazzled the crowd with two live performances into 2025.
Star-Studded Collaborations
Thanks for Rapp-ing up 2024 with us @reneerapp & @Alanis ❤️ #RockinEve pic.twitter.com/fVouBCmp3n
— New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (@RockinEve) January 1, 2025
Alanis Morissette, celebrating 30-years of her hugely successful album Jagged Little Pill, performed her timeless song, “Ironic.” But Morissette surprised viewers when she brought out Reneé Rapp to sing a duet of “You Oughta Know.” Rapp jokingly posted on Instagram that Morissette was the “only person that could get me out of the house.” Also at the West Coast Party, DJ Cassidy brought out Ja Rule, Fat Joe, Slick Rick, and Doug E. Fresh for his “Pass The Mic Live!” experience.
Viral Songs to Hit the Stage
Despite being released over two decades ago, Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Murder on the Dancefloor experienced a fresh wave of popularity after being featured in the soundtrack for the film Saltburn. Ellis-Bextor made the trip across the pond for the first time to perform her energetic song. Other popular songs in 2024 lit up the stage such as Tinashe’s “Nasty” and Dasha’s “Austin.” Teddy Swims also performed “The Door” and “Lose Control” against a festive backdrop. This year’s event also included performances from T-Pain, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Laufey, and Jungle, ensuring there was something for everyone to enjoy.
The Ball Drop on New Year’s Eve
Before the iconic ball dropped in Times Square, the New Year first struck in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican actress Dayanara Torres led countdown to 2025 in Spanish as a beautiful and bright star began to rise into the sky. As the clock struck midnight in New York City and the colorful ball dropped, a staggering 3,000 pounds of confetti rained down on Times Square.
As we step into a new year, we look back on a night filled with joy, nostalgia, and hope for what’s to come. The entire team at Trill Mag wishes you a joyful New Year!
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2025 is available to stream on Hulu.
