PHOTOS: iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball Tour Brings Music's Biggest Stars To Boston

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Iggy Azalea & Charli XCX perform onstage together at KISS 108’s Jingle Ball 2014, presented by Market Basket Supermarkets at TD Garden on December 14, 2014 in Boston, MA (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

iHeartRadio's annual Jingle Ball Tour lit up Boston's TD Garden on December 14th, 2014, bringing with it some of the industry's current heavy-hitters. Kiss 108's Jingle Ball featured performances by Charli XCX, One Republic, Rixton, Shawn Mendes, Kiesza, Iggy Azalea, Meghan Trainor, Jessie J, Calvin Harris, Magic!, 5 Seconds of Summer and special guest host Nick Jonas.

Check out the photo galleries below to see all the action from on-and-off stage:

5 Seconds Of Summer:

Iggy Azalea with Charli XCX:

Meghan Trainor:

Kiesza:

Lil Jon:

Jessie J:

One Republic:

Rixton:

Shawn Mendes:

 

RED CARPET INTERVIEWS: Music & Charity Collide At Salvation Army's "Rock The Red Kettle" Concert In Los Angeles

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Headliner-Becky G performing at Salvation Army's "Rock The Red Kettle" Concert in Los Angeles on December 6th, 2014 (Paul DeBaun/Roman's Rap-Up).

On December 6th at L.A. Live, The Salvation Army hosted a concert event to raise money and awareness for homeless families. Up-and-coming acts like Becky G, Shawn Mendes, R5, and Bea Miller headlined the show with openers Exist Elsewhere and Josh Levi. On the red carpet, we were able to speak with Bea Miller, R5, and Becky G to catch up with them about new projects and and their reasons for giving back. 

R5 performing at Salvation Army's "Rock The Red Kettle" Concert in Los Angeles on December 6th, 2014 (Paul DeBaun/Roman's Rap-Up).

The first major performance of the night was the family band R5.  Their performance electrified the crowd with their raw energy and enthusiasm, especially when they closed their set with their new hit “Smile.”  When asked about their new single “Smile” on the red carpet, Riker and Ross Lynch replied that this was their favorite song they have recorded so far.  They love the song’s message, and it was a blast to record. Additionally, they talked about how honored they were to be performing for such as noble cause and spoke about the importance of giving back to their community.

Next up was the 15 year old former X-Factor contestant Bea Miller.  Miller rocked the house with her powerful voice, performing hits like “Young Blood” and “Enemy Fire.” When asked about her upcoming debut album—set to be released in 2015—Bea eagerly expressed her pride over one of her new songs off the new album, “Paper Doll.”  She spoke about how the song’s message is to not let other people control your decisions and to be your own person.

Shawn Mendes performing at Salvation Army's "Rock The Red Kettle" Concert in Los Angeles on December 6th, 2014 (Paul DeBaun/Roman's Rap-Up).

After Bea Miller, Shawn Mendes was warmly greeted with a multitude of screaming fans armed with many colorful of posters.  Mendes’ performance was different than the other acts in the sense that he performed an acoustic set: just him and his guitar.  Mendes performed new songs such as “Strings Attached” from his upcoming album, mash ups of different songs that made him famous on Vine, and his hit singles “Life of the Party” and “Something Big.”  With just the power of his crystal-clear voice and guitar, Mendes seemed to hypnotize the audience.  So much so that he was even able to ask the audience to become completely silent so that he could he heard without a microphone; they happily obliged. 

After Shawn Mendes’ compelling performance, Becky G hit the stage to end this concert with a bang.  Performing hits like “Shower” and “Built For This,” Becky G wowed the crowd with her awesome dance moves and effortless stage presence.  When asked about her song “Built For This” being included on the new version of Just Dance, Becky G replied how surreal it was and how she looked forward to actually playing the game.  Additionally, Rock the Red Kettle was a special performance for this young singer.  When asked what her Red Kettle Reason was she remarked about her humble upbringing and the importance of organizations like The Salvation Army in the lives of the homeless.  

Rock the Red Kettle was truly a unique event.  Not only was it an exciting concert, but a powerful call to do good this holiday season.  The Salvation Army channeled the power of these new, talented performers into encouraging young people to give back to their communities and help those in need.  Undeniably, this event illustrates the huge capacity music has to inspire people to help one another.

Check out our interviews with R5, Bea Miller & Becky G from the red carpet below:

EXCLUSIVE: Timeflies Perform Freestyle for Roman's Rap-Up Staff & More

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Timeflies performs in Boston on November 18th, 2014 (Michelle Kwong/Roman's Rap-Up.)

You know there's going to be a party when Timeflies are in town, and that's exactly what happened at our backstage interview in Boston. The guys Cal and Rez talked EXCLUSIVELY to Roman's Rap-Up about touring, Timeflies Tuesdays and their new album, along with performing a freestyle from trending topics just for the Roman's Rap-Up staff. 

Check out the interview below:

Featured Artist Spotlight: Q&A With Just Ivy

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(Facebook.com)

There's a chance you may not know who singer Just Ivy is, but here's why you should.

Relatively new to the music industry, Just Ivy has already done what others can only dream of, working with renowned producers and directors like REO of the Sound Killers (Beyoncé, Lil Wayne) and Griz Lee (Nicki Minaj, Riff Raff), and teaming up with Akon, Meek Mill, and DJ Khaled for some of her singles.

Get to know Just Ivy below with our EXCLUSIVE Q&A below:

Roman's Rap-Up: How did you first get into music?

Just Ivy: I dreamed of being an entertainer since I was little girl. Music was such a big part of me that I knew that was my future. I did a lot of performances as a child, then one day I walked into the studio to see my friend recording and it hit me right there. Like here it is! That’s what you should be doing! Then I wrote a few songs, recorded them, and a demo of my song ended up in DJ Khaled’s hands. That’s when it started for real. From that moment.

Roman's Rap-Up: Describe your process of writing and recording.

Just Ivy: It’s different each time...we can be sitting in the studio, vibing with the team, and listening to tracks. Then we hear a melody and write the song from scratch...or it can be a ready-to-go record. But we change the lyrics because we look for something that is more me... Or we hear a song, and boom it’s me, and we have nothing to change.

Roman's Rap-Up: Do you have any recording rituals?

Just Ivy: The main ritual is to lock myself in the studio and embrace the creative moment and let it get inside me.

Roman's Rap-Up: How did your single with Khaled come to be?

Just Ivy: After my demo ended up in his hands, he did a remix to my song. He loved it. Then we met in the studio in New York and we clicked right away. His energy is everything. He said, “Lets work more and do more together.” I said, “yes," of course. It was like a dream come true. He goes to me, “But this time, I made a song for you, how I feel and see it.” And he did “Bad Girl Take Over,” and I fell in love with this song, and have been collaborating ever since. That’s how “Light Me Up” happened; it was the result of our collaboration. [Khaled and I] have more records coming together and I’m super excited about that. He is a genius.

Roman's Rap-Up: Talk to us about making the video for "Light Me Up."

Just Ivy: We were working on that for a few months, brainstorming with Greez and Laurie, and choreographing...there were so many ideas coming from everyone but it just wasn’t what we wanted to be. So Laurianne Gibson, who is my choreographer and creative director, and I sat down and created the whole story for the video. We wanted it to be like a little movie. Greez loved it and then we went to Miami and did it.

Roman's Rap-Up: Can you tell us when your debut album will be released?

Just Ivy: We are planning to drop it in the top of next year. We are very excited about it.

Roman's Rap-Up: Where do you see yourself one year from now? 

Just Ivy: I hope to be touring, doing shows, and performing.

Roman's Rap-Up: Finally, how do you feel about all of your fans?

Just Ivy: I love [my fans] and their support means a lot to me!