2018 Billboard Music Awards Performance Reviews

/ dhill92

Hello, fam! So, this will be my very first review of any music show. Here, I’ll be talking about the 2018 Billboard Music Awards, which we’re held last month. Kelly Clarkson was the host of the show. I thought she did a nice job hosting overall. But how were the performances, you might ask? Well, I’ll be doing a review of each of the performances, and then I’ll be grading them on a scale of 1-10. I have never done this before, so this will be my first attempt at grading the show. Are you ready? Let’s get on with it!

  • Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
The first performance of the night comes from an artist whose music I’ve been fond of for a while now. Ariana Grande took the stage with her latest single No Tears Left To Cry, which is one of my favorites at the moment. As for the performance itself, I was definitely impressed. I always thought she had a great voice, but she sounds amazing when singing live. I do like some of the dance moves that she put together. Simply put, this was a great start to the show and it shows just how talented Ariana is. I do think she had probably the best performance of that night.
Performance Grade: 10/10


  • Kelly Clarkson – Medley Of Greatest Hits
Kelly Clarkson, the host of the awards show herself, has always been a favorite of mine. She performed a number of songs such as There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back, Shape Of You, Finesse, etc. She does have an amazing voice and I thought she sounded very good singing live. I love the way she is rapping in some of the songs, and then I like that she sings Shape Of You with the background music in Finesse. Yeah, I absolutely loved that performance and Kelly did not disappoint me at all. That was a great one for her.
Performance Grade: 9.5/10

  • Dua Lipa – New Rules

While I do still like New Rules, I can’t really say the same about her performance of the song. I think she was a little off key in some parts of the performance. She is a pretty good dancer for the most part, but vocally I didn’t think she sounded good here. So yeah, I’m not big on that performance.
Performance Grade: 5/10

  • Shawn Mendes – In My Blood

So, Shawn Mendes performed the first of his two songs from his self-titled album at the Billboard Music Awards. The song itself is still pretty good in my eyes (or in music terms, ears). Shawn sounded pretty good for the most part. He shows that he is capable of singing live. Do I think it was one of the best performances? Not really, but he still did a pretty nice job with it.
Performance Grade: 7/10

  • Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies

Khalid took the stage next for his first act of the night, and he brings in former Fifth Harmony members Normani. They performed the song called Love Lies, which as you know was taken from the Love, Simon movie soundtrack. I’ve been loving that song for a while. So how was the performance at the awards? Well, Khalid has proven to me that he has a good voice, and hearing him sing live proves my point. Normani does pretty well, too, with her vocals. This was a good performance for the most part and the song deserves better.
Performance Grade: 8/10

  • John Legend – A Good Night

John Legend took the stage to perform his new single, A Good Night. It was on the YouTube 15 when I first listened to it, and it was a good song. How was the performance, you might ask? Well, I can pretty much say the same. John did very well with his singing on live television. He has proven time and time again that he’s a great singer. This was another great performance for John Legend and he didn’t disappoint at all.
Performance Grade: 8.5/10

  • Christina Aguilera featuring Demi Lovato – Fall In Line
I never thought of the idea of bringing these two together for this collaboration, but I’m glad it turned out well. Both of them have amazing voices, and their performance of the song at the awards was no exception. When I heard the song for the first time while watching the show, I was floored. It sounded really good live. The chorus is amazing. Both Christina’s and Demi’s voices blend together really well. They shined pretty much all throughout the whole thing. Simply put, I was in love with their performance overall and definitely one of my favorites from that night.
Performance Grade: 9.5/10
  • Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
Ed Sheeran gave us a performance all the way from Dublin. He sounded pretty good singing live, and his fans joined in to sing the song. The guitar was quite solid when he played it. To put it easy, I thought he did a nice job with the song’s performance overall.
Performance Grade: 8/10
  • Jennifer Lopez featuring DJ Khaled and Cardi B. – Dinero
Out of all of the performances from that night, I think this is probably the weakest. I didn’t think JLo sounded good throughout the whole thing. DJ Khaled doesn’t add much to the performance. I’m not sure what the song is about, but judging by the sound it’s basically has some sort of trap-beat in the song. Yeah, I think this simply wasn’t a good performance. They can do better.
Performance Grade: 4/10

  • Shawn Mendes featuring Khalid – Youth

After performing In My Blood, Shawn Mendes would return to the stage, only this time he brings in Khalid with Youth. I did enjoy this performance all throughout. I liked how their voices blend together. And then soon after the first chorus, The Majority Stoneman Douglas Show Choir comes in and sang alongside them for the rest of the song. So yeah, it was an emotional performance and a special one at that.
Performance Grade: 9.5/10

  • Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle

For those of you who’ve been following my blog, then you probably know that The Middle has been (and still is) one of my huge favorites. I did like the performance of the song for the most part. Maren Morris sounded great when she was singing the song live, and the song itself still sounds great (at least for me). I won’t quite say it was that amazing by any means, but I still think it was a great performance overall.
Performance Grade: 8.5/10

  • Janet Jackson – Nasty/Throb/If

It was nice to see Janet Jackson take the stage after a while. And to be honest, I thought she did a nice job overall. Janet proves that she’s still a good singer and she has a good voice. Plus, she still has some good dance moves. So yeah, good performance from her for the most part.
Performance Grade: 8/10

  • Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days

This song is just beautiful all around, and its performance at the Billboard Music Awards was no exception. Both Macklemore and Kesha sounded very good throughout the whole performance. The piano was very well done throughout the song. So yeah, easily one of the best performances of the night.

Performance Grade: 9.5/10

  • Kelly Clarkson – Whole Lotta Woman

I don’t really have too much to say about this one. Kelly Clarkson again does great with her singing. She never really disappointed me before, and her performance of the song wasn’t any different. It was another great performance for her of the night.
Performance Grade: 8.5/10

  • Camila Cabello featuring Pharrell – Sangria Wine/Havana

Don’t get me wrong. I do not like Sangria Wine, but I thought both Pharrell and Camila did a nice job with the performance of the song. I’ll admit that Camila does show that she can sing live, and Pharrell did good with the live show performance. Then, we get to Camila singing her solo version of Havana and things got better. She has some pretty good dance moves, and her backup dancers did well too. Overall, a good performance by both artists.
Performance Grade: 7.5/10

  • BTS – Fake Love

Not too much I can say about this performance. I’ll simply be honest and just say that it wasn’t too special for the most part. BTS are the type of boy band that don’t quite appeal to me. They are great dancers and they proven to be when they performed the song at the Billboard Music Awards. But that’s probably the best thing I can say about it. So yeah, not really big on their performance as a whole.
Performance Grade: 5/10

  • Salt-N-Pepa featuring En Vogue – Shoop/Let’s Talk About Sex/Push It/ Whatta Man

For the final performance of the night, we have the return of the group Salt-N-Pepa after a long time. They performed a medley of their hits, and it was pretty darn impressive. There’s quite a lot to like about the last performance of the awards. The group’s voices are still good even after all those years. That’s really all I can say about it. This was a nice way to close out the night.
Performance Grade: 8.5/10

So yeah, I thought this was a solid night for performances at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. Sure, we did have a few performances that were kinda meh. But for the most part, we had great performances from many artists. It was a pretty fun night to watch. This has been my very first review of any awards music show. I hope you all enjoyed reading!

My Top 5 Performances
1. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
2. Kelly Clarkson – Medley Of Greatest Hits
3. Christina Aguilera featuring Demi Lovato – Fall In Line
4. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days
5. Shawn Mendes featuring Khalid – Youth

4 thoughts on “2018 Billboard Music Awards Performance Reviews”

  1. “I'm not sure what the song is about”“Yo quiero dinero” means “I want money”. And frankly, I don’t think anyone wants to hear her drone on about that. The beat sounds terrible. The fact that Cardi B’s verse is the best part of the song says a lot.But nice post! I enjoyed reading it!

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  2. Thank you very much for the kind words!Yeah, you did bring up a good point about Dinero. I agree. As I said, I wasn't a fan of that performance either. Good thing it didn't become much of a hit.

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  3. Great post!Also, about your comment regarding Dinero, I wouldn't rule it out as not a hit yet. It is still gaining on pop radio, and other stuff as well so it could get moderate success.

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