iHeartMedia and FOX announced today the nominees for the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards, airing LIVE from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Thursday, May 27 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live / PT tape-delayed) on FOX. The event also will be heard on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app.
Now in its eighth year, the iHeartRadio Music Awards will celebrate the most-played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app throughout 2020, while also offering a preview of the upcoming hits of 2021. The show will feature award presentations in multiple categories, live performances from the biggest artists in music, surprise stage moments and will tell the stories of the winning artists' road to #1. Since the Awards' inception in 2013, the show has included live performances and appearances by superstar artists, such as Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, Garth Brooks, Rihanna, Halsey, Justin Bieber, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves, Chris Martin, Bon Jovi, Maroon 5, Camila Cabello, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Big Sean, Sam Smith, Madonna, Blake Shelton, Pharrell, Pitbull and many others.
"The iHeartRadio Music Awards is a true awards show recognizing the artists and songs fans have listened to and loved all year long," said John Sykes, President of Entertainment Enterprises for iHeartMedia. "We are excited to be continuing our partnership with FOX on this unforgettable evening of music and stories."
Artists receiving multiple nominations include 24kGoldn, AC/DC, AJR, All Time Low, Ariana Grande, Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, blackbear, BLACKPINK, Blake Shelton, BTS, Calibre 50, Cardi B, Charlie Puth, Chris Brown, Christian Nodal, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Drake, Dua Lipa, Future, Gabby Barrett, H.E.R., Harry Styles, J Balvin, Jhené Aiko, JP Saxe, Justin Bieber, KAROL G, Lady Gaga, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Maluma, Maren Morris, Megan Thee Stallion, Ozuna, Ozzy Osbourne, Pop Smoke, Post Malone, Roddy Ricch, Shawn Mendes, Snoh Aalegra, Summer Walker, Surf Mesa, Taylor Swift, The Pretty Reckless, The Weeknd, twenty one pilots and Young Thug. All nominees are listed below. For a full list of categories, visit iHeartRadio.com/awards.
"We couldn't be more excited for this year's iHeartRadio Music Awards," said Tom Poleman, Chief Programming Officer for iHeartMedia. "This year's awards will be a can't-miss music event. We are looking forward to celebrating these top artists and their accomplishments, especially after a year that brought unprecedented challenges to the music industry and live events."
In addition to paying tribute to music and artists, the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards will again celebrate the fans, giving iHeartRadio listeners the opportunity to decide winners in several new and established categories. Fan voting will determine this year's Best Fan Army, Best Lyrics, Best Cover Song, Best Music Video, the Social Star Award, Favorite Music Video Choreography Award and the first-ever TikTok Bop of the Year Award.
Social voting began April 7, and will close on May 19 at 11:59 PM ET for all categories. Fans can vote on Twitter using the appropriate category and nominee hashtags or by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards.
Due to the pandemic, the 2020 live TV broadcast event of the iHeartRadio Music Awards on FOX was cancelled and winners were revealed for the first time on-air throughout Labor Day weekend across iHeartRadio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio App. Among the many winners of the 2020 Awards were Lizzo for Song of the Year, Billie Eilish for Female Artist of the Year, Post Malone for Male Artist of the Year and Jonas Brothers for Best Duo/Group of the Year. The 2020 iHeartRadio Music Awards also honored Elton John with the Tour of the Year Award for his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour."
This year's awards will once again feature a broad array of categories — finalists (by alphabetical order) are:
Song of the Year:
- "Blinding Lights" – The Weeknd
- "Circles" – Post Malone
- "Don't Start Now" – Dua Lipa
- "ROCKSTAR" – DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch
- "Watermelon Sugar" – Harry Styles
Female Artist of the Year:
- Ariana Grande
- Billie Eilish
- Dua Lipa
- Megan Thee Stallion
- Taylor Swift
Male Artist of the Year:
- Harry Styles
- Justin Bieber
- Post Malone
- Roddy Ricch
- The Weeknd
Best Duo/Group of the Year:
- BTS
- Dan + Shay
- Jonas Brothers
- Maroon 5
- twenty one pilots
Best Collaboration:
- "Go Crazy" – Chris Brown & Young Thug
- "Holy" – Justin Bieber featuring Chance the Rapper
- "I Hope" – Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth
- "Mood" – 24kGoldn featuring iann dior
- "Savage" (Remix) – Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé
Best New Pop Artist:
- 24kGoldn
- blackbear
- Doja Cat
- JP Saxe
- Pop Smoke
Alternative Rock Song of the Year:
- "Bang!" – AJR
- "Bloody Valentine" – Machine Gun Kelly
- "everything i wanted" – Billie Eilish
- "Level Of Concern" – twenty one pilots
- "Monsters" – All Time Low featuring blackbear
Alternative Rock Artist of the Year:
- AJR
- All Time Low
- Billie Eilish
- Cage the Elephant
- twenty one pilots
Best New Rock/Alternative Rock Artist:
- Ashe
- Dayglow
- Powfu
- Royal & The Serpent
- Wallows
Rock Song of the Year:
- "Death By Rock And Roll" – The Pretty Reckless
- "Patience" – Chris Cornell
- "Shame Shame" – Foo Fighters
- "Shot In The Dark" – AC/DC
- "Under The Graveyard" – Ozzy Osbourne
Rock Artist of the Year:
- AC/DC
- Five Finger Death Punch
- Ozzy Osbourne
- Shinedown
- The Pretty Reckless
Country Song of the Year:
- "Even Though I'm Leaving" – Luke Combs
- "I Hope" – Gabby Barrett
- "Nobody But You" – Blake Shelton with Gwen Stefani
- "One Margarita" – Luke Bryan
- "The Bones" – Maren Morris
Country Artist of the Year:
- Blake Shelton
- Luke Bryan
- Luke Combs
- Maren Morris
- Thomas Rhett
Best New Country Artist:
- Ashley McBryde
- Gabby Barrett
- HARDY
- Ingrid Andress
- Jameson Rodgers
Dance Song of the Year:
- "Head & Heart" – Joel Corry x MNEK
- "ily (i love you baby)" – Surf Mesa featuring Emilee
- "Lasting Lover" – Sigala & James Arthur
- "Rain On Me" – Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande
- "Roses" (Imanbek Remix) – SAINt JHN
Dance Artist of the Year:
- Anabel Englund
- Diplo
- Marshmello
- Surf Mesa
- Tiësto
Hip-Hop Song of the Year:
- "High Fashion" – Roddy Ricch featuring Mustard
- "Life Is Good" – Future featuring Drake
- "ROCKSTAR" – DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch
- "Savage" (Remix) – Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé
- "The Box" – Roddy Ricch
Hip-Hop Artist of the Year:
- DaBaby
- Lil Baby
- Megan Thee Stallion
- Pop Smoke
- Roddy Ricch
Best New Hip-Hop Artist:
- Jack Harlow
- Moneybagg Yo
- Pop Smoke
- Rod Wave
- Roddy Ricch
R&B Song of the Year:
- "B.S." – Jhené Aiko featuring H.E.R.
- "Go Crazy" – Chris Brown & Young Thug
- "Heat" Chris Brown featuring Gunna
- "Playing Games" – Summer Walker
- "Slide" – H.E.R. featuring YG
R&B Artist of the Year:
- Chris Brown
- H.E.R.
- Jhené Aiko
- Snoh Aalegra
- Summer Walker
Best New R&B Artist:
- Chloe x Halle
- Lonr.
- Mahalia
- Skip Marley
- Snoh Aalegra
Latin Pop/Reggaeton Song of the Year:
- "Caramelo" – Ozuna
- "Dákiti" – Bad Bunny & Jhay Cortez
- "Hawái" (Remix) – Maluma & The Weeknd
- "RITMO (Bad Boys For Life)" – Black Eyed Peas & J Balvin
- "Tusa" – KAROL G & Nicki Minaj
Latin Pop/Reggaeton Artist of the Year:
- Bad Bunny
- J Balvin
- KAROL G
- Maluma
- Ozuna
Best New Latin Artist:
- Chesca
- Jay Wheeler
- Natanael Cano
- Neto Bernal
- Rauw Alejandro
Regional Mexican Song of the Year:
- "Palabra De Hombre" – El Fantasma
- "Se Me Olvidó" – Christian Nodal
- "Sólo Tú" – Calibre 50
- "Te Volvería A Elegir" – Calibre 50
- "Yo Ya No Vuelvo Contigo" – Lenin Ramírez featuring Grupo Firme
Regional Mexican Artist of the Year:
- Banda Los Sebastianes
- Calibre 50
- Christian Nodal
- Edwin Luna y La Trakalosa de Monterrey
- Gerardo Ortíz
Producer of the Year:
- Andrew Watt
- Dr Luke
- Frank Dukes
- Louis Bell
- Max Martin
Songwriter of the Year:
- Ali Tamposi
- Amy Allen
- Ashley Gorley
- Dan Nigro
- Finneas
Best Lyrics: *Socially Voted Category
- "Adore You" – Harry Styles
- "Before You Go" – Lewis Capaldi
- "Blinding Lights" – The Weeknd
- "cardigan" – Taylor Swift
- "Don't Start Now" – Dua Lipa
- "everything i wanted" – Billie Eilish
- "I Hope" – Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth
- "If The World Was Ending" – JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels
- "Intentions" – Justin Bieber featuring Quavo
- "Life Is Good" – Future featuring Drake
Best Cover Song: *Socially Voted Category
- "Adore You" (Harry Styles) – Lizzo cover
- "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons) – Shawn Mendes cover
- "Fix You" (Coldplay) – Sam Smith cover
- "Heart Of Glass" (Blondie) – Miley Cyrus cover
- "Juice" (Lizzo) – Harry Styles cover
Best Fan Army: *Socially Voted Category
- #Agnation – Agnez Mo
- #Arianators – Ariana Grande
- #Beliebers – Justin Bieber
- #BLINK – BLACKPINK
- #BTSARMY – BTS
- #Harries – Harry Styles
- #Limelights – Why Don't We
- #Louies – Louis Tomlinson
- #MendesArmy – Shawn Mendes
- #NCTzens – NCT 127
- #Selenators – Selena Gomez
- #Swifties – Taylor Swift
Best Music Video: *Socially Voted Category
- "Blinding Lights" – The Weeknd
- "Don't Start Now" – Dua Lipa
- "Dynamite" – BTS
- "Hawái" – Maluma
- "How You Like That" – BLACKPINK
- "Life Is Good" – Future featuring Drake
- "Rain On Me" – Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande
- "WAP" – Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion
- "Watermelon Sugar" – Harry Styles
- "Yummy" – Justin Bieber
Social Star Award: *Socially Voted Category
- Dixie D'Amelio
- Jaden Hossler
- LILHUDDY
- Nessa Barrett
- Olivia Rodrigo
- Tate McRae
Favorite Music Video Choreography: *Socially Voted Category
- BTS – Son Sung Deuk
- "34+35" (Ariana Grande) – Scott & Brian Nicholson
- "Do It" (Chloe x Halle) – Kendra Bracy & Ashanti Ledon
- "Honey Boo" (CNCO & Natti Natasha) – Kyle Hanagami
- "Physical" (Dua Lipa) – Charm La'Donna
- "Rain On Me" (Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande) – Richy Jackson
- "Say So" (Doja Cat) – Cortland Brown
- WAP" (Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion) – JaQuel Knight
- "Bop" (DaBaby) – Coach Cherry & DaniLeigh
TikTok Bop of the Year (New Category): *Socially Voted Category
- "Blinding Lights" – The Weeknd
- "Lottery (Renegade)" – K CAMP
- "Savage" – Megan Thee Stallion
- "Savage Love" (Laxed-Siren Beat) – Jawsh 685, Jason Derulo
- "Say So" – Doja Cat
- "WAP" – Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion
Additional categories include Label of the Year, Titanium Song of the Year and Titanium Artist of the Year, and individual winners for Album of the Year in music's biggest genres, including Pop, Country, Alternative Rock, Rock, Dance, Hip-Hop, R&B, Latin Pop/Reggaeton and Regional Mexican formats. Nominations are based on consumption data, including streaming, album sales, song sales and radio airplay.
For a full list of categories visit iHeartRadio.com/awards.
