People in the United States celebrate May 5 as Cinco de Mayo, and fans have enjoyed many great Top 40 performances on this day. Highlights include Adele’s birthday, Taylor Swift performing in Nashville, and pop stars arriving in style at the Met Gala.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
May 5 saw these megamilestones from legends including Lady Gaga, Harry Connick Jr., and Taylor Swift:
- 2010: Pop diva Lady Gaga was a guest performer for the results show of American Idol. She sang “Alejandro” at this show, and judge Harry Connick Jr. also performed on this important night.
- 2023: Pop sensation Taylor Swift performed at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on an early stop of her popular Eras tour. Swift spent years in Nashville in her early career as a country music star, and she’s now one of the most influential Top 40 artists of all time.
- 2023: Sabrina Carpenter held a concert at Meridian Hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as part of her Emails I Can’t Send tour. Carpenter is now a Grammy Award-winning star, reaping Best Pop Vocal Album for Short n’ Sweet and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Espresso” at the 2025 GRAMMYs.
Cultural Milestones
Happy Birthday to Adele on May 5, and what fun to see stars all dressed up:
- 1988: Mega pop queen Adele was born on May 5. The “Set Fire to the Rain,” “Hello,” and “Someone Like You” singer hit the Top 40 scene when she was only 19, and she took the world by storm with numerous BRIT Awards and GRAMMYs.
- 2014: Rihanna attended the Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for that year’s Charles James: Beyond Fashion theme. Additional stars at this glamorous event included Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, and Taylor Swift, who are also powerhouses in the Top 40 and adult contemporary music genres.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Some great and notable performances happened on May 5, including:
- 2018: Lizzo played at the famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City as part of HAIM’s Sister Sister Sister tour. She was the opening act for most of the North American dates of this tour, and on May 5, the songs she sang included “Can’t Nobody Love Me the Way I Do” and “Good as Hell.”
- 2018: Pop crooner Sam Smith thrilled fans at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, Netherlands, as part of his The Thrill of It All tour. Smith started the show with songs including “Lay Me Down” and “Money on My Mind” and wrapped up the encore with his smash hit “Stay With Me.”
- 2024: The annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival ended on May 5, with headliners Hozier, Vampire Weekend, Queen Latifah, and Jon Batiste. Hundreds of other artists were at this music festival, including The Wallflowers, The Killers, and The Revivalists.
- 2024: Pop star Megan Trainor appeared as a guest performer on American Idol. Fans were delighted to hear her sing “Been Like This” and “To the Moon.”
May 5 had many highlights and upbeat events for the Top 40 music world. With top-notch performances, glamorous shows, and Adele’s birthday, the day was a big winner.
