Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, Ryan and co-host Liza Koshy will be counting down to 2023 in New York City's Times Square. They'll be joined by two hot artists of today, as well as two iconic groups who'll bring the '80s and '90s nostalgia.
"We have Duran Duran just before midnight, doing a huge medley of their biggest hits," Ryan tells ABC Audio. "J-Hope [from BTS] is going to be here. Jax is performing — I met Jax on American Idol years ago. We also have New Edition coming on stage — all the guys from New Edition … then, of course, Dove Cameron, Wiz Khalifa and a list of others out [on the] West [Coast]."
Ryan, who'll host season 21 of American Idol starting February 19, is particularly happy about season 14's Jax breaking through with "Victoria's Secret" this year.
"I'm loving the fact that it's full circle that she's on the show," he notes.
The LA Party segment of the show also includes Nicky Youre and Armani White, while the Disneyland segment features Ciara, Fitz & The Tantrums, Halle Bailey, Shaggy and Lauren Spencer-Smith. Plus, Billy Porter will sing from New Orleans, and Farruko will perform from Puerto Rico.
With such a diverse lineup, you may wonder who chooses the Rockin' Eve performers each year. Does Ryan get a say in who he'll be sharing the stage with?
"It's a consensus," he explains. "We have a booking department that works very hard … but sure, we talk about who we think would fit, certainly, those live spots in Times Square — and also represent what was fun this year and also what's fun to celebrate from years ago, like Duran Duran, and those songs everybody can sing along to."
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