Mariah Carey, Huntr/X, Post Malone and LE SSERAFIM were among the artists who helped welcome 2026 during this year’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve broadcast in New York.
On December 31, the long running celebration returned with hosts Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora leading the night as a wide lineup of major performers took to stages across multiple locations, including Times Square, Chicago, Las Vegas and Puerto Rico.
Mariah Carey featured as one of the evening’s top billed performers, delivering a live rendition of her 2009 single ‘Obsessed’ from the album ‘Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel’, performing from Las Vegas.
Performing live from Times Square were Huntr/X, the trio made up of Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, who dominated 2025 thanks to their breakout success with the film KPop Demon Hunters, now the most watched Netflix movie of all time. The real world vocalists behind the fictional group performed the runaway hit ‘Golden’ in front of a packed crowd.
Other artists who appeared throughout the broadcast included fellow K pop stars LE SSERAFIM, alongside Post Malone, 50 Cent, Jess Glynne, Pitbull, Daddy Yankee, Demi Lovato, Maren Morris, 4 Non Blondes, Charlie Puth, OneRepublic and Goo Goo Dolls.
Check out clips from all of their performances here:
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The New Year’s Rockin’ Eve special has aired annually since 1971 and is best known for featuring the iconic Times Square ball drop. Last year’s edition included headline sets from Carrie Underwood, the Jonas Brothers, TLC and Sophie Ellis Bextor.
Huntr/X’s ‘Golden’ has since been shortlisted for an Oscar in the Best Song category and was recently ranked as the second best K pop song of 2025 by NME, which wrote: “In just a few short months, ‘Golden’ has become a chart-topping phenomenon for the ages and for all ages, while somehow having resisted the curse of being reduced to passing virality. Though it garnered multiple Grammy nominations for 2026, including the coveted Song of the Year, ‘Golden’ doesn’t need awards to prove it has struck gold.”
KPop Demon Hunters also earned a spot on NME’s list of the 50 best films of 2025 and you can check out the full rundown here.
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