On Wednesday morning, Jan. 1, singers Kiesza and Aloe Blacc will kick off the 2025 Rose Parade with musical performances atop the float by Honda, where they’ll be accompanied by a synchronized light show, pyrotechnics and dancers galore.
The Tournament of Roses announced the pair on Dec. 11 as the newest musical talents to begin the parade, a slot held by David Archuleta, Cassadee Pope, Michelle Williams and Rush Davis during last year’s parade.
If it’s the first you’re hearing of the performers — or you need a refresher — here’s who they are, what they’re known for and what they’re up to now:
Kiesza
The Canadian-born, 35-year-old singer and instrumentalist is best known for her 2014 hit “Hideaway,” which dominated global charts at the time of its release and holds over 347,000,000 streams on Spotify.
That happens to be the song she’s slated to perform during the parade, where she’ll be joined by 20 dancers in shimmering reflective costumes during a reprised version of the song with “renewed energy for the global audience,” organizers said. She’ll also perform a glimpse of her Billboard No. 1 hit, “I Go Dance,” while in the backdrop, extreme acrobats on jumping stilts will perform.
Once a folk singer, Kiesza primarily produces up-tempo dance music, which is the genre of both her released albums; 2014’s “Sound of a Woman” and 2020’s “Crave.” In 2018, she was featured on Dreamworks’ “Home” soundtrack with her song “Cannonball.“
Most recently, Kiesza released her 2024 EP “Dancing and Crying: Vol. 1” and has been sharing her journey to the Rose Parade stage on her Instagram.
Aloe Blacc
After Kiesza, it’s Aloe Blacc’s turn to take the float stage. He will perform his “Wake Me Up”— a global mega-hit by the late Avicii, in which Blacc was the co-writer and vocalist.
Born in Orange County, the 45-year-old singer and rapper got his start in indie rap group Emanon, comprised of himself and hip hop producer Exile in 1995.
Blacc launched his solo career in 2003 and hit his first major success with the 2010 song, “I Need a Dollar,” which has since grossed nearly 285,000,000 streams on Spotify. Other hits include 2013’s “The Man” and, more recently, a country version of “Wake Me Up,” which Blacc released with country-singer Cooper Alan in November of 2024.
Today, Blacc boasts over 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify and recently announced his upcoming residency at New York City venue Blue Note.