Billboard Music Awards 2016 Performance Reviews

Hey guys! I will only do the performance reviews because that was the best part about this show. So, I'm sorry this is a tad late, but I don't have school from today-Tuesday, so that's good. So, without further adieu, here are my performance reviews of the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, which were hosted by Ludacris and Ciara, which were both decent hosts. 


Britney Spears - Work B*tch/Womanizer/I Love Rock N Roll/Breathe On Me/I'm A Slave 4 U/Touch Of My Hand/Toxic

Comments: So, this was actually pretty good. This was a good comeback to the Billboard Music Awards stage for Britney Spears. So, let's run it down. When she sang Work B*tch in the beginning, it was actually very catchy and the dance moves were good. Womanizer also was good. I Love Rock N Roll was great when she was on that giant guitar and rocking it back and forth. Breathe On Me got a little slow for me, and I'm A Slave 4 U sort of picked things back up, and then she closes out with Toxic and it's just amazing! So, yes, this was actually not as bad as I expected it to be.

Grade: 8.5/10

Shawn Mendes - Stitches

Comments: Even though I'm not a fan of Stitches anymore, this wasn't awful. Shawn Mendes still has a good voice and performed this fairly decent. The rain and the glitching television effects were also pretty satisfying. I really have nothing left to say. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. I'll put it right in the middle.

Grade: 5/10

Meghan Trainor - No

Comments: So, this performance was okay. At the beginning, I was kind of bored and then it got a little interesting with some dancers in the background, and then just got a tad more boring towards the end. Meghan did start to dance a little too, so that was good, and her voice wasn't awful, so it wasn't that bad.

Grade: 6/10

Fifth Harmony/Ty Dolla $ign - Work From Home

Comments: I really liked this performance. I have to admit, Work From Home was just slightly growing out on me, and then I hear them do this and I just all of a sudden love the song again. The ladies also have fabulous stage presence, their dancing was good. And then Ty comes out and does pretty good, so yes it was very likeable in my opinion. Also, Fifth Harmony's album came out today, titled 7/27 featuring this song as the lead single. It was one of the best.

Grade: 9/10

P!nk - Just Like Fire

Comments: This was just awesome! P!nk killed it with her comeback performance of Just Like Fire. First, she hung on silks over the heads of the crowd, then she started dancing and singing at the same time. After that, she got up on a clock hand in front of a burning clock. This was just phenomenal. Best performance of the night.

Grade: 10/10

Justin Bieber - Company/Sorry

Comments: So, this wasn't half bad. The performance of Company was good, Justin was dancing most of the time with the song on play, not singing. Then, on Sorry, it was a tad annoying because I'm sick of that song, but he started singing and dancing and it was pretty good. Not to mention, the flashing lights just made it so much cooler.

Grade: 8.5/10

Nick Jonas/Tove Lo - Close

Comments: This was very good as well. Nick was singing up against a mirror, and when it was Tove Lo's turn to sing, she magically appeared in the glass and the audience was wowed. They then sang their parts phenomenally. They also closed the performance with some steaminess like in the music video, and it even seemed like they were about to kiss, when the performance literally turned to Demi Lovato. It was one of the best.

Grade: 9/10

Demi Lovato - Cool For The Summer

Comments: This wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. I liked Demi Lovato's stage appeal and the microphone and background was really cool and interesting. She did do well on her vocals. So, that's all I have to say.

Grade: 7.5/10

Blake Shelton/Gwen Stefani - Go Ahead And Break My Heart

Comments: I honestly don't like this song. Their performance was okay. I mean, it was something and it was okay. Their vocals were very good, but I'm honestly not a fan of the song and I have no idea why. That also made the performance somewhat worse to me. It was also a tad too slow.

Grade: 4/10

Kesha/Ben Folds - It Ain't Me, Babe

Comments: Kesha is back! This was actually okay in my opinion. It seems kind of slow from what she usually does, so it was strange. It wasn't bad though, but it wasn't necessarily good. Her voice was great, but there was just a missing factor that would've made the performance better.

Grade: 5/10

DNCE - Cake By The Ocean

Comments: This wasn't awful. I mean, the confetti and balloons with every single performance of this song is kind of getting annoying. I know it's odd and peppy and all, but the party stuff is kind of overdoing it in my opinion. Vocal wise, the performance was okay.

Grade: 5/10

Lukas Graham - 7 Years

Comments: This wasn't bad in my opinion. It was just a sit-down-with-the-band kind of performance. Which actually fits this song very well. So I actually kind of appreciated this performance for what it was and the vocal work was good as well.

Grade: 7.5/10

Troye Sivan - Youth

Comments: This was pretty good for a first time award show performance. Troye Sivan did really good at performing Youth on the stage. I also loved the modern light inspired look of the performance. Good job Troye!

Grade: 8/10

Rihanna - Love On The Brain

Comments: This was pretty good and it was not what I was expecting. I was expecting Rihanna to perform Work or Needed Me or something like that. But she actually stood at a microphone and sang this powerful song from her album, Anti. She had very strong vocals and the song's lyrical content was well put together.

Grade: 8.5/10

Celine Dion/Lindsey Stirling - The Show Must Go On

Comments: This performance was for Celine Dion's now deceased husband and brother who sadly died in the same week. She had a great voice and it sounded amazing and I know that her husband and brother would appreciate it so much. She was singing to her two angels and it was beautiful.

Grade: 9/10

The Go-Go's - We Got The Beat

Comments: This was a great comeback. I also really like this song and the vocals were good as well. Nothing else really to say honestly.

Grade: 7.5/10

Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman/Into You

Comments: Ms. Grande never disappoints me with her vocal work. The beginning with that amazing sounding microphone was so cool and perfect for Dangerous Woman. Into You is just such a catchy and infectious song and the performance was just outstanding. Another best of the night.

Grade: 10/10

Madonna/Stevie Wonder - Nothing Compares 2 U/Purple Rain

Comments: It was sweet to sing Nothing Compares 2 U, but honestly I would of thought she would have added some more of Prince's upbeat songs to it, maybe sing a snippet of it at the end and sing more of his songs. The part with Stevie Wonder in Purple Rain was good, so that's it.

Grade: 7.5/10

Adele - Send My Love (To Your New Lover) [MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERE]

Comments: This song is so good and this music video made me love it so much more. The music video was plain and simple and I loved the shadowing faces. A third best of the night.

Grade: 9.5/10


Bottom 5 Performances
1. Blake Shelton/Gwen Stefani - Go Ahead And Break My Heart
2. Shawn Mendes - Stitches
3. Kesha/Ben Folds - It Ain't Me, Babe
4. DNCE - Cake By The Ocean
5. Meghan Trainor - No

Top 5 Performances
1. P!nk - Just Like Fire
2. Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman/Into You
3. Adele - Send My Love (To Your New Lover)
4. Nick Jonas/Tove Lo - Close
5. Fifth Harmony/Ty Dolla $ign - Work From Home

See you tomorrow with the countdown!

Love ya fam!

~ Jack :)