As Christmas draws near, KDWB celebrates the season with their annual Jingle Ball. Every December, some of the nation’s  most popular musicians perform in large cities on a tour hosted by local radio stations. In Minnesota, KDWB will host Jingle Ball 2013 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Dec. 10.

This year, the performers include Fifth Harmony, Flo Rida, Ariana Grande, Austin Mahone, and VMA sensations Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke. The presence of the last two, however, has stirred anger and discomfort in many Minnesotans.

Many were shocked last August at the controversial performance Cyrus and Thicke put on at the MTV Video Music Awards. Full of twerking and inappropriate dancing, some questioned whether their dancing should even be shown on television.

Some fear that these stars might try to cause more drama at our Jingle Ball on Dec. 10 by trying to one-up their VMA performance. Tom Poleman, president of national programming platforms for Clear Channel Media + Entertainment, even hinted that Cyrus’ Jingle Ball performance would be bigger. The backlash has been such that some have tried to remove the two from the line-up.

The controversy surrounding Thicke extends beyond his racy VMAs dance. His hit single, “Blurred Lines,” has incited rage among those who interpret its lyrics as promoting rape and demeaning women. According to an interview with GQ, Thicke knew the song was degrading towards women and thought he was the perfect artist for it because he respects women. He purposely sang this controversial song, knowing its true meaning.

However, it seems that the backlash against Thicke and Cyrus might be in vain. According to the Star Tribune, they are projected to be Jingle Ball’s biggest draws.