The 2020
''Billboard'' Music Awards were held on Wednesday October 14, 2020 at the
Dolby Theatre
The Dolby Theatre (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre) is a live-performance auditorium in the Ovation Hollywood shopping mall and entertainment complex, on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. Si ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The ceremony was broadcast live from
NBC. Hosted by
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
for the third year in a row, the ceremony was sponsored by
TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version ...
and
Xfinity
Comcast Cable Communications, LLC, doing business as Xfinity, is an American telecommunications company and division of Comcast Corporation used to market consumer cable television, internet, telephone, and wireless services provided by the com ...
. The ceremony was originally scheduled for April 29, 2020, but was later postponed first indefinitely and then to October due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Nominees were announced on September 22, 2020. Voting opened on TikTok on October 1 and closed on October 13. Presenters were announced October 13.
Post Malone was the most awarded, with nine awards. Malone was also the most nominated, with 16 nominations.
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...
and
Killer Mike received the
Icon Award and the inaugural Change Maker Award, respectively.
Background
The 2020 ceremony was originally scheduled to be held April 29, 2020 at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena
The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip.
Sporting events
From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...
in Las Vegas.
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
was announced as the host. She had previously hosted the
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
and
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
ceremonies.
On March 17th,
NBC and
Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions (DCP, stylized in lowercase as dick clark productions or dcp) is an American multinational television production company founded by radio and TV host Dick Clark.
The studio primarily produces award shows and other music en ...
issued a joint statement postponing the ceremony due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. In the statement, they stated "
naccordance with the current guidelines set forth by national and local health officials and in order to ensure the health and safety of our artists, fans, guests and staff,
are postponing the Billboard Music Awards."
On August 14 of the same year, the show was rescheduled for October 14. On September 22, the nominees for all categories were announced.
The first round of performers were announced September 29.
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...
received the
Icon Award, as announced on February 26, 2020; succeeding
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
, who won the award in 2019.
Killer Mike received the inaugural Change Maker Award, as announced two days before the ceremony.
Voting for fan-voted categories opened on dance video platform
TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version ...
on October 1.
TikTok and
Xfinity
Comcast Cable Communications, LLC, doing business as Xfinity, is an American telecommunications company and division of Comcast Corporation used to market consumer cable television, internet, telephone, and wireless services provided by the com ...
sponsored the ceremony.
Performers
![Garth Brooks 2021](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Garth_Brooks_2021.jpg)
Notes
* Pre-taped at the P.W. Gillibrand Co. Silver Sand quarry in
Simi Valley, California.
* Pre-recorded in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
.
Winners and nominees
Nominees were announced in a series of
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
statements on September 22, 2020.
Post Malone was the most nominated, with 16 nominations, followed by
Lil Nas X with 13, and
Khalid
Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname. and
Billie Eilish with 12.
Voting for the three fan-voted categories,
''Billboard'' Chart Achievement,
Top Social Artist and Best Collaboration opened on dance-sharing video app
TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version ...
on October 1, 2020,
and closed on October 13.
Winners are first and are in bold.
Presenters
Presenters were announced October 13 in a series of Twitter statements.
*
Nicole Richie
Nicole Camille Richie (; born September 21, 1981) is an American television personality, fashion designer, socialite, and actress. She came to prominence after appearing in the reality television series ''The Simple Life'' (2003–2007), in whic ...
- presented Top ''Billboard'' 200 Album
*
Julia Michaels - presented Top Hot 100 Song
*
Jharrel Jerome - presented Top Female Artist
*
Jane Lynch - presented Top Country Artist
*
Sheila E.
Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957) better known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American percussionist and singer. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving t ...
- presented Top Song Sales Artist
*
Keisha Bottoms – presented Change Maker Award
*
Twitch - presented Top Latin Artist
*
Lilly Singh - presented Top Male Artist
*
Cher
Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
– presented the
Icon Award
*
Jay Ellis
Wendell Ramone "Jay" Ellis Jr. (born December 27, 1981) is an American actor. In 2013, Ellis received his first major role on BET's series ''The Game (American TV series), The Game''. He is a main cast member on HBO's series ''Insecure (TV serie ...
- presented Top R&B Artist
*
Addison Rae
{{Infobox person
, name = Addison Rae
, image = Addison Rae - Pandora 2021 3.jpg
, alt =
, caption = Rae in an interview for Pandora in 2021
, birth_name = Addison Rae Easterlin ...
- presented ''Billboard'' Chart Achievement
*Spencer X - presented Top Social Artist
*
Garcelle Beauvais - presented Top Christian Artist
*
Taraji P. Henson
Taraji Penda Henson ( ; born September 11, 1970) is an American actress. She studied acting at Howard University and began her Hollywood career in guest roles on several television shows before making her breakthrough in '' Baby Boy'' (2001). Sh ...
- presented Top Artist
References
{{Billboard Music Awards
Billboard Music Award
Billboard awards
2020 music awards
Billboard Music Awards
The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...