The ultimate Christmas playlist for children
Clarkson returned to ‘American Idol’ in 2016 to perform ‘Piece by Piece,’ a song about how her father left her, but how her husband will never leave their children. From the lyrics to the end of the show that launched her career to the fact that she was pregnant at the time, Clarkson couldn’t hold back the tears.
The star broke down on stage after the passing of Christina Grimmie, her friend and fellow singer, to whom Gomez dedicated two songs. Grimmie was killed in 2016 from gunshot wounds to the chest and head after a concertgoer shot her outside a venue following a show. Gomez had to take a moment to collect herself while performing ‘Nothing’ and mouthed the words "I'm sorry.”
The singer had to ask the audience for help while paying tribute to Juan Gabriel in 2016. He was so moved by the death of the Mexican legend that he couldn't get through the words while covering his song ‘Abrazame Muy Fuerte,’ because he was weeping.
Before that, Grande had also broken down during a performance of ‘My Everything’ in 2015 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The song was a sweet tribute to her late grandfather, and she started the performance with a recording of his voice, so you can bet there was not a dry eye in the house. She covered her mouth at times but powered through the ballad anyway.
When Miley Cyrus performed at 'SNL' in 2015, there wasn't a dry eye in the house—including her own. She sang her absolute heart out about her dog that died, with a little tribute to the pup on top of the piano she was playing, and ended the emotional song sniffling and teary-eyed.
Adele broke down into tears singing 'Someone Like You' at the Royal Albert Hall in 2011, asking the audience to sing, and even pulling out a tissue after because she'd known she was prone to getting teary-eyed. She wrote the powerful ballad about a breakup, after all.
Demi Lovato has been through more than most of us ever hope to experience, and she has written songs about the difficult moments of her life, including 'Skyscraper.' She has cried on stage singing it more than once, but her performance at Chicago's Club Nokia in 2011 takes the cake.
The Canadian songstress has suffered a lot in her life, but her ballads have only gotten more powerful. After losing both her husband and her brother in the same week, she went back to performing at Las Vegas in 2016, but had to stop singing in the middle of 'All By Myself.' She pinched the bridge of her nose and cried as fans cheered their support for her.
But that wasn't the last time Adele teared up on stage, as she also cried in 2015 after her first full show in four years and again at London's O2 arena in 2016 when her three year-old son Angelo attended his first concert. She started to sing 'Someone Like You,' paused to give her son a shout-out—“I love you so much, Peanut”—then became visibly overwhelmed, asking the audience to sing without her.
During her ANTI tour in 2016, the singer couldn't hold back her tears in Ireland during her hit with Eminem 'Love the Way You Lie.' She struggled to get the words out and tears gathered in her eyes, but the fans helped her out. “Such an emotional show for me!” she wrote on Instagram.
During her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in 2013, Queen Bey was so moved by the crowd in Antwerp, Belgium, that she finished her performance of 'Flaws and All' with tears rolling down her cheeks.
The singer is no stranger to teardrops on her guitar, but she teared up playing the piano during her performance of 'All Too Well' in Jakarta back in 2014. She'd prefaced the song by talking about how she writes “about the things that haunt me the most” and added, “Sometimes you wish you could forget the good times even more than the bad times because you just keep replaying the things that you can remember all too well.”
Lady Gaga is not afraid to leave her true emotions on stage. The singer got particularly teary while performing 'Hair' in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on her 2012 Born This Way Ball tour. “You have taught me so very much. You make me so happy,” she told the audience. “I've never been so happy as in this moment right now. You know how they say dreams come true? This is the face of someone whose dream is true right now.”
During a 2013 show in D.C., Kelly Rowland could not hold back her tears as she performed her single 'Dirty Laundry,' which reflected on her past abusive boyfriend who turned her against her family and former Destiny's Child bandmate Beyoncé. The crowd cheered in support of Rowland as she lowered her face and sobbed.
Bieber got super emotional during his triumphant return at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, and later explained to Jimmy Fallon that it was “so overwhelming” because of the support he received. “Honestly, I just wasn't expecting them to support me in the way they did. Last time I was at an award show I was booed.” He added that he'd worked so hard on his new music and himself and was scared of being judged as he “put everything on the line. What was just so special about the emotional moment at the end; it was just authentic, it was real.”
Chris Brown performed a tribute to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Michael Jackson's death at the 2010 BET Awards, but after moving through a medley of a few hits he entered the reflective track 'Man in the Mirror' and his emotions burst through the floodgates. Brown barely got through the song as the instrumental went on, and many suspected the song hit a sore spot since Brown was still recovering from the backlash from the 2009 Rihanna incident.
The singer got emotional while performing her song 'Video Games' to an ecstatic but intimate crowd at the Vicar Street venue in Dublin in 2013. Later in an interview, she revealed that she cried because she felt like the audience cared so much about her while she wasn't taking care of herself, as at the time she was struggling with depression.
Lauryn Hill broke down while performing the song 'I Gotta Find Peace of Mind,' from her 2002 MTV Unplugged special recorded in July 2001 at MTV Studios in NYC. Her voice cracks in the intimate performance with just herself and her acoustic guitar, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
The singer broke into tears while performing 'Titanium' in 2016 as a tribute to those lost in the Orlando shooting at a gay nightclub. Her voice cracked, and she choked up and couldn't sing at one point, apologizing to the crowd, and you can hear the strain in her voice as she finished the song.
The incredible songstress was performing 'Petals' live on her Rainbow Tour in San José in 2000 when tears started streaming down her face. It's rare that she ever misses a note, but she did then, and it was only more moving to watch.
During her Las Vegas show in 2017 for her All I Have residency, J.Lo dedicated the song 'I Hope You Dance' to her twins, Emme and Max, and projected a photo of them up on the screen. Before she could even start singing, she choked up.
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In August 2015, Little Mix performed 'The End' from their new album 'Get Weird,' and during the a cappella song, Perrie Edwards got very emotional and started crying mid-lyric, cutting the song off completely. Her bandmates hugged her and the audience cheered.
Styles grew up listening to Fleetwood Mac, so when he got the chance to sing with Stevie Nicks, he naturally got emotional about it. He had brought out his special guest during a secret show at The Troubadour in LA in 2017, where they sang a duet of 'Landslide.'
Grande was overcome with tears on stage during the One Love Manchester Benefit Concert on June 4, 2017 in Manchester, England, which took place two weeks after the tragic Manchester Arena bombing.
The late rapper was known for his emotional side, most notably when he broke down while ending his performance on stage at S.O.B.'s in New York in 2012, when he closed out the high-energy show with a prayer, tearing up as he expressed his gratitude.
Adele kicked off her 'Weekends with Adele' Las Vegas residency in 2022 after almost a year of delays. The Caesar's Palace Colosseum was still packed despite the heat she took for canceling it last minute back in January, though the singer told the crowd she was "so scared and nervous." She was so full of emotion that she reportedly dissolved into tears several times, according to TMZ. It was certainly a difficult lead-up to the show with production disputes, COVID concerns, and a general uncertainty, but Adele told the crowd, “I should be giving you a standing ovation. Thank you so much for coming back to me. I really appreciate it. You look amazing and it looks just what I imagined it would look like, it's perfect."
She added, "I'm so scared and nervous, but I am so happy. I don't know what I was thinking putting piano ballads at the top of the set ... hopefully over time my nerves will disappear. I would also really like to thank Caesar's because there have been a lot of rumors and they never once asked any questions, they've been amazing."
The superstar announced that she would be taking a break after the ‘SNL’ appearance, not to mention after the burglary of her home that happened just days before her performance, in which over US$300,000 was stolen. That alone is enough to make anyone's eyes water!
Megan Thee Stallion fought back tears during one of her performances on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ where she pulled double duty as both host and musical guest. Performing her song ‘Anxiety’ in a pageant-style setup, her backup dancers wore gowns and sashes that read “Ms. Underpaid,” “Ms. Overworked,” “Ms. Overwhelmed,” “Ms. Overlooked,” and “Ms. Insecure,” and Megan herself donned “Miss Anxiety.”
Katy The singer got emotional during a 2010 performance at the Radio 1 Teen Awards, at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, England. “I am allowed to be emotional,” Perry said before introducing her hit ‘Firework.’ “I really want to say thank you for supporting this next song so much because it means the world to me.”
The song is one of her more serious tracks, touching on her own personal issues, and including lyrics “bad b—hes have bad days too,” which is also the title of her mental health website. When she began rapping the second verse, which finds her imagining writing a letter to her mother, who passed away in 2019, she got choked up and fought back tears that made her eyes shine in the lights. She regained her composure but got emotional again at the end.
Music is a powerful medium that can convey so many emotions that even words fail to, which is perhaps why it's no surprise that musicians charge so many big feelings into their songs. It's incredibly moving to see an artist be so attached to what they're singing, as well as to see them feel moved by the crowds singing along with them.
Oftentimes we don't realize it, but we're seeing artists' dreams come true when they're up on stage, which is enough to make anyone watery-eyed. But beyond that, we're also seeing their most vulnerable emotions. And, sometimes, when the moment is right, singers will break into tears as they belt out their songs.
Whether they're touched by the immense support from their fans, or they're remembering the person their song is about, many stars have broken down in front of a crowd. Click through to see some of the most touching moments.
Emotional singers who cried while performing
See which talented voices got choked up with raw emotion
MUSIC Vocalists
Music is a powerful medium that can convey so many emotions that even words fail to, which is perhaps why it's no surprise that musicians charge so many big feelings into their songs. It's incredibly moving to see an artist be so attached to what they're singing, as well as to see them feel moved by the crowds singing along with them.
Oftentimes we don't realize it, but we're seeing artists' dreams come true when they're up on stage, which is enough to make anyone watery-eyed. But beyond that, we're also seeing their most vulnerable emotions. And, sometimes, when the moment is right, singers will break into tears as they belt out their songs.
Whether they're touched by the immense support from their fans, or they're remembering the person their song is about, many stars have broken down in front of a crowd. Click through to see some of the most touching moments.