dick clark productions and NBC today announced nominees for the “2019 Billboard Music Awards,” which honors the year’s most successful artists in 56 categories across all genres of music. “2019 Billboard Music Awards” host Kelly Clarkson and chart-topping duo Dan + Shay, kicked off the nominations this morning, live on NBC’s “Today.” Last year’s Top Rap Female Artist winner, Cardi B, leads the pack with 21 nods, followed by Drake and Post Malone, each with 17. Other nominees and possible record-breakers include Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Travis Scott and XXXTENTACION.
The “2019 Billboard Music Awards” will broadcast from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, May 1 at 8 p.m. ET / PT on NBC.
Narrowly missing Drake and The Chainsmokers’ record of most nominations ever in a single year (both musicians received 22 nominations in 2017), Cardi B is also a double-nominee in three categories (Top Selling Song, Top Collaboration and Top Hot 100 Song). Drake and Post Malone tie for second-most nominations this year with 17 each, both nominated in many of the same categories, including Top Artist, Top Male Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist and Top Hot 100 Artist. Travis Scott received 12 nominations, followed by the late XXXTENTACION with 10 and Ariana Grande with nine. Nominated for two awards this year, Taylor Swift still leads the pack for most wins of all time with 23, a record she could break again with a win this year.
Voting for the fan voted categories, Billboard Chart Achievement Award and Top Social Artist, will open in the coming weeks and additional details will be available soon.
Billboard Music Award-winner Cardi B has swiftly rewritten the Billboard chart history books since she exploded onto the scene with “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” just a little under two years ago. She’s already notched three No. 1s on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart (a record for a female rapper) and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with her debut studio effort Invasion of Privacy (becoming only the fifth female rap artist with a No. 1 album). Further, Invasion launched with 202.6 million on-demand audio streams for its songs in its first week, according to Nielsen Music — the biggest streaming week ever for an artist’s debut studio album. All told, Cardi B’s catalog of songs have tallied a whopping 5.8 billion on-demand streams in the U.S.
15-time Billboard Music Award-winner Drake continues to be a non-stop force on Billboard’s charts. In 2018, the superstar scored his eighth consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with Scorpion, while all 25 of the album’s tracks hit the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. And, thanks to Scorpion, Drake shattered a Hot 100 record set by The Beatles back in 1964 — he claimed seven simultaneous Hot 100 hits following Scorpion’s debut. In total, Drake has charted 193 songs on the Hot 100 chart — the most of any artist in the chart’s 60-year history. Further, Drake’s catalog of songs recently celebrated crossing the 30 billion on-demand streams mark in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music.
After initially making waves with the Billboard Hot 100 hit “White Iverson” in late 2015, Post Malone has been dominating the chart in the last year-and-a-half thanks to a string of hits, including three No. 1s: his Billboard Music Award-winning “Rockstar,” featuring 21 Savage, “Psycho,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, and “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse),” featuring Swae Lee. Post Malone’s second album, beerbongs & bentleys, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in May of 2018, and has yet to leave the weekly top 20 of the list since the album’s arrival on the chart 48 weeks ago.
Travis Scott’s monster Astroworld album opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart last August (marking his second leader on the list) and notched three weeks atop the tally. The set spawned the smash hit “Sicko Mode,” which garnered the rapper his first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album has gone on to earn over 2.5 million equivalent album units, while its songs have accumulated more than 2.8 billion on-demand audio streams, in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music.
In December, XXXTENTACION’s posthumously released Skins became the artist’s second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, following his earlier set, ?, which was also released in 2018. In that year alone, 24 of his songs reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including his first No. 1, “Sad!,” which topped the chart following his death in June. XXXTENTACION’s collection of albums have earned over 4.7 million equivalent album units in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music, while his songs have claimed more than 10 billion on-demand streams.
Ariana Grande wrapped 2018 in a big way, with her third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, Sweetener, and her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, “Thank U, Next.” But then, things got even bigger for the superstar, as she quickly claimed a second No. 1 on the Hot 100 with “7 Rings,” along with her fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200: Thank U, Next. When the latter debuted at No. 1, it logged the largest streaming week ever for a pop album, and, any album by a woman (with its songs earning 307.1 million on-demand audio streams in its first week in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music). Further, when Thank U, Next opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, it happened just five months and 22 days after Sweetener started at No. 1 – the shortest gap between new No. 1s on the chart for a woman since 1975.
“Billboard Music Awards” nominees and winners are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay, touring and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. The awards are based on the chart period of March 23, 2018 through March 7, 2019. Since 1940, the Billboard charts have been the go-to guide for ranking the popularity of artists, songs and albums, and are the ultimate measure of success in music.
THE “2019 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS” NOMINEES:
NOMINATIONS BY CATEGORY
ARTIST AWARDS
Top Artist:
Cardi B
Drake
Ariana Grande
Post Malone
Travis Scott
Top New Artist:
Bazzi
Juice WRLD
Lil Baby
Dua Lipa
Ella Mai
Billboard Chart Achievement Award:
Dan + Shay
Drake
Ariana Grande
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
Dua Lipa
Top Male Artist:
Drake
Post Malone
Travis Scott
Ed Sheeran
XXXTENTACION
Top Female Artist:
Cardi B
Ariana Grande
Halsey
Ella Mai
Taylor Swift
Top Duo/Group:
BTS
Dan + Shay
Imagine Dragons
Maroon 5
Panic! At The Disco
Top Billboard 200 Artist:
Drake
Ariana Grande
Post Malone
Travis Scott
XXXTENTACION
Top Hot 100 Artist:
Cardi B
Drake
Ariana Grande
Juice WRLD
Post Malone
Top Streaming Songs Artist:
Cardi B
Drake
Ariana Grande
Post Malone
XXXTENTACION
Top Song Sales Artist:
Drake
Ariana Grande
Imagine Dragons
Lady Gaga
Post Malone
Top Radio Songs Artist:
Cardi B
Drake
Ariana Grande
Maroon 5
Post Malone
Top Social Artist:
BTS
EXO
GOT7
Ariana Grande
Louis Tomlinson
Top Touring Artist:
Beyoncé & JAY-Z
Bruno Mars
Ed Sheeran
Taylor Swift
Justin Timberlake
Top R&B Artist:
H.E.R.
Khalid
Ella Mai
The Weeknd
XXXTENTACION
Top R&B Male Artist:
Khalid
The Weeknd
XXXTENTACION
Top R&B Female Artist:
H.E.R.
Ella Mai
Queen Naija
Top R&B Tour:
Beyoncé & JAY-Z
Childish Gambino
Bruno Mars
Top Rap Artist:
Cardi B
Drake
Juice WRLD
Post Malone
Travis Scott
Top Rap Male Artist:
Drake
Post Malone
Travis Scott
Top Rap Female Artist:
Cardi B
City Girls
Nicki Minaj
Top Rap Tour:
Beyoncé & JAY-Z
Drake
Travis Scott
Top Country Artist:
Jason Aldean
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Top Country Male Artist:
Jason Aldean
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Top Country Female Artist:
Maren Morris
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood
Top Country Duo/Group:
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Old Dominion
Top Country Tour:
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Shania Twain
Top Rock Artist:
Imagine Dragons
lovelytheband
Panic! At The Disco
Queen
twenty one pilots
Top Rock Tour:
Elton John
The Rolling Stones
U2
Top Latin Artist:
Anuel AA
Bad Bunny
J Balvin
Ozuna
Romeo Santos
Top Dance/Electronic Artist:
Calvin Harris
Kygo
Marshmello
ODESZA
The Chainsmokers
Top Christian Artist:
Cory Asbury
Lauren Daigle
for KING & COUNTRY
Hillsong Worship
MercyMe
Top Gospel Artist:
Kirk Franklin
Koryn Hawthorne
Tori Kelly
Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Marvin Sapp
ALBUM AWARDS
Top Billboard 200 Album:
Cardi B “Invasion of Privacy”
Drake “Scorpion”
Post Malone “beerbongs & bentleys”
Travis Scott “ASTROWORLD”
XXXTENTACION “?”
Top Soundtrack:
“13 Reasons Why: Season 2”
“A Star is Born” by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
“The Greatest Showman”
Top R&B Album:
Ella Mai “Ella Mai”
H.E.R. “H.E.R.”
Khalid “American Teen”
The Weeknd “My Dear Melancholy,”
XXXTENTACION “17”
Top Rap Album:
Cardi B “Invasion of Privacy”
Drake “Scorpion”
Post Malone “beerbongs & bentleys”
Travis Scott “ASTROWORLD”
XXXTENTACION “?”
Top Country Album:
Jason Aldean “Rearview Town”
Kane Brown “Kane Brown”
Luke Combs “This One’s For You”
Dan + Shay “Dan + Shay”
Carrie Underwood “Cry Pretty”
Top Rock Album:
Dave Matthews Band “Come Tomorrow”
Imagine Dragons “Origins”
Mumford & Sons “Delta”
Panic! At This Disco “Pray For The Wicked”
twenty one pilots “Trench”
Top Latin Album:
Anuel AA “Real Hasta la Muerte”
Bad Bunny “X 100PRE”
J Balvin “Vibras”
Maluma “F.A.M.E.”
Ozuna “Aura”
Top Dance/Electronic Album:
Clean Bandit “What Is Love?”
David Guetta “7”
Kygo “Kids in Love”
Major Lazer “Major Lazer Essentials”
The Chainsmokers “Sick Boy”
Top Christian Album:
Cory Asbury “Reckless Love”
Lauren Daigle “Look Up Child”
for KING & COUNTRY “Burn The Ships”
Hillsong Worship “There Is More”
Zach Williams “Chain Breaker”
Top Gospel Album:
Snoop Dogg & Various Artists “Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love”
Aretha Franklin “Gospel Greats”
Koryn Hawthorne “Unstoppable”
Tori Kelly “Hiding Place”
Jonathan McReynolds “Make Room”
SONG AWARDS
Top Hot 100 Song:
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin “I Like It”
Juice WRLD “Lucid Dreams”
Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B “Girls Like You”
Post Malone “Better Now”
Travis Scott “SICKO MODE”
Top Streaming Song (Audio):
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin “I Like It”
Juice WRLD “Lucid Dreams”
Post Malone “Better Now”
Travis Scott “SICKO MODE”
XXXTENTACION “SAD!”
Top Streaming Song (Video):
Drake “In My Feelings”
Juice WRLD “Lucid Dreams”
Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B “Girls Like You”
Travis Scott “SICKO MODE”
XXXTENTACION “SAD!”
Top Selling Song:
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin “I Like It”
Drake “In My Feelings”
Halsey “Without Me”
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper “Shallow”
Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B “Girls Like You”
Top Radio Song:
Khalid & Normani “Love Lies”
Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B “Girls Like You”
Post Malone “Better Now”
Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line “Meant to Be”
Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey “The Middle”
Top Collaboration:
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin “I Like It”
Khalid & Normani “Love Lies”
Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B “Girls Like You”
Marshmello & Bastille “Happier”
Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign “Psycho”
Top R&B Song:
DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper & Quavo “No Brainer”
Ella Mai “Boo’d Up”
Ella Mai “Trip”
Khalid “Better”
Lil Dicky ft. Chris Brown “Freaky Friday”
Top Rap Song:
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin “I Like It”
Drake “In My Feelings”
Juice WRLD “Lucid Dreams”
Post Malone “Better Now”
Travis Scott “SICKO MODE”
Top Country Song:
Kane Brown “Heaven”
Luke Combs “She Got the Best of Me”
Dan + Shay “Speechless”
Dan + Shay “Tequila”
Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line “Meant to Be”
Top Rock Song:
Foster The People “Sit Next to Me”
Imagine Dragons “Natural”
Imagine Dragons “Whatever It Takes”
lovelytheband “broken”
Panic! At The Disco “High Hopes”
Top Latin Song:
Bad Bunny ft. Drake “Mia”
Daddy Yankee “Dura”
DJ Snake ft. Selena Gomez, Ozuna & Cardi B “Taki Taki”
Nicky Jam & J Balvin “X”
Casper Magico, Nio Garcia, Darell, Nicky Jam, Bad Bunny & Ozuna “Te Bote”
Top Dance/Electronic Song:
DJ Snake ft. Selena Gomez, Ozuna & Cardi B “Taki Taki”
Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa “One Kiss”
Marshmello & Bastille “Happier”
Tiësto & Dzeko ft. Preme & Post Malone “Jackie Chan”
Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey “The Middle”
Top Christian Song:
Cory Asbury “Reckless Love”
Lauren Daigle “You Say”
for KING & COUNTRY “joy.”
Hillsong Worship “Who You Say I Am”
Tauren Wells “Known”
Top Gospel Song:
Todd Dulaney “Your Great Name”
Koryn Hawthorne “Won’t He Do It”
Tori Kelly ft. Kirk Franklin “Never Alone”
Jason Nelson “Forever”
Brian Courtney Wilson “A Great Work”
