By Jessica Wedemeyer
6:00pm PDT, Apr 24, 2024
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The 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards had a little something for everyone — from a heavily autotuned Cher sharing one of her biggest hits with an Academy Award-winning singer-actress, to the return of Justin Timberlake, a tear-jerking duet from two of country music's hottest rising stars, a rap medley that brought the house down and more.
But not every singer, rocker or pop artist knocked it out of the park during the April 1 show in Hollywood…
Join us as we look back at every performance this year — from worst to best.
Read on to see the evening's top performer…
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No. 7: Cher and Jennifer Hudson, "If I Could Turn Back Time" and "Believe"
There was just something off about this duet, which kicked off with Jennifer Hudson honoring Cher by tackling one of her biggest hits, "If I Could Turn Back Time," in an ensemble inspired by the body-baring outfit that the superstar sported in the official music video for her 1989 single. She then threw things over to Cher herself, who took the stage for a heavily autotuned version of "Believe."
While the performance had the whole audience on their feet, we couldn't help but compare Cher's vocals to J.Hud's. The difference was all the more apparent when Cher — who turns 78 next month yet looked absolutely flawless — sat back to let Jennifer handle the high notes as "Believe" came to an end. The Oscar-winning singer-actress went a little overboard with the riffing, though, overshadowing Cher in what should've been the older performer's moment to shine.
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Jennifer Hudson donned a Cher-inspired getup while performing during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on April 1, 2024.
No. 6: Green Day, "Bobby Sox" and "Basket Case"
Green Day honored their 30-plus years in the music business with their pink-hued performance during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards. They kicked off their set with their bisexual anthem "Bobby Sox" from their new "Saviors" album, then transitioned to one of their all-time biggest hits: "Basket Case" from their fan-favorite "Dookie" album, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
Sadly, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong — clad in a fabulous hot-pink suit — fumbled the transition with his briefly pitchy vocals. Fortunately, he recovered quickly, closing out the number with a bang — courtesy of drummer Tré Cool!
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Tré Cool and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performed two songs from their extensive catalog — the new track "Bobby Sox" and the hit classic "Basket Case" — during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on April 1, 2024.
No. 5: Justin Timberlake, "Selfish" and "No Angels"
He's back! Justin Timberlake kicked off the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards with something unexpected: a stripped-down version of "Selfish" from his brand-new "Everything I Thought It Was" album, which debuted in March. The superstar opened the show by playing guitar while seated on a stool, then transitioned to another new song, "No Angels," while accompanied by a full band and backup singers who eventually joined him in some snappy choreography.
Everything went off without a hitch, but we were somehow left wanting more: We just couldn't help but wish J.T. had incorporated one of his bigger hits into his set — especially considering "Selfish" and "No Angels" haven't made much of an impact with listeners since they debuted earlier this year.
Keep reading for another look at the former *NSYNC singer on stage…
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Former boybander Justin Timberlake performed two new songs in his catalog — "Selfish" and "No Angels" — during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on April 1, 2024.
No. 4: Tate McRae, "Greedy" and "exes"
Tate McRae raised temperatures as she performed two of her biggest hits — "Greedy" and "exes" — in an orange corset-style top, matching over-the-knee boots and denim short shorts while accompanied by orange-clad backup dancers who brought the energy with their killer choreography while stationed on a white multi-level platform — undoubtedly the evening's most interesting staging. A camera suspended from the top of the stage captured a cool bird's-eye view shot of Tate collapsing and then writhing on the floor during her super-sexy set.
Keep reading to see Tate with her dancers…
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Pop singer Tate McRae performed a medley of her hits "Greedy" and "exes" — singles off her latest album, "Think Later" — during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on April 1, 2024.
No. 3: TLC with Latto, "No Scrubs" and "Waterfalls"
They've still got it! TLC knocked it out of the park with two of their biggest hits: "No Scrubs" and "Waterfalls." Their set featured a little bit of everything: fun, Western-inspired costumes — with SO MUCH turquoise! — flawless choreography delivered by four male backup dancers and a live band including brass and string sections. But that's not all! "Waterfalls" also featured a special surprise in the form of rapper Latto, who joined Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas on stage to handle the rap verse that the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes contributed to the original track.
Keep reading to see another pic…
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Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas of TLC performed "No Scrubs" during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards before Latto joined them after they transitioned to "Waterfalls."
No. 2: Jelly Roll with Lainey Wilson, "Save Me"
Jelly Roll delivered an extremely emotional rendition of his hit single "Save Me" while surrounded by hundreds of candles that set the stage aglow. The remarkably intimate performance had some audience members in tears – even if the singer-songwriter's vocals somewhat missed the mark. Whatever Jelly Roll lacked in vocals, however, Lainey Wilson more than made up for when she joined him on stage to absolutely nail her verses.
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Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson got a standing ovation after performing his hit song "Save Me" during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on April 1, 2024.
The same night, Jelly Roll won best new artist awards — in both the pop and country categories.
"My mama always told me I had a face for radio, baby!" he said while accepting. "I never would have dreamed I would be one of the voices coming through your radio. … You don't know what it means to a kid like me. What does it mean when a guy like me [who spent years in and out of jail] has the opportunity to be the new pop artist of the year? It means that God will always use the least likely messenger with the biggest message, every single time."
He added, "I love you, Jesus, and I love you, Bunnie, my wife. Thank you for everything. My daughter, Bailee Ann, I hope you're watching. I'm coming home, baby. We did it."
No. 1: Ludacris with T-Pain, "All I Do Is Win," "Yeah!" and "Move B****"
Ludacris proved he only needs one thing – a microphone – to bring the house down. The rapper-actor, who pulled double duty as the show's host, absolutely slayed a medley of three of his biggest hits: DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win" and Usher's "Yeah!" (he's featured on both tracks) plus his 2002 single "Move B****."
No backup dancers. No crazy costumes. No elaborate choreography. Just a quick assist from T-Pain on "All I Do Is Win" and some flawlessly executed rapping. No one spits lyrics like Luda!
Keep reading for another fun pic…
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T-Pain joined Ludacris — who also hosted the show — to assist with some extra vocals on "All I Do Is Win" during the "Fast & Furious" franchise star's stellar three-song medley performance at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Hollywood on April 1, 2024.
