The 2021 ''Billboard'' Music Awards were held on May 23, 2021, at the

Microsoft Theater The Microsoft Theater (formerly Nokia Theatre L.A. Live) is a music and theater venue in downtown Los Angeles, California, at L.A. Live. The theater auditorium seats 7,100 and holds one of the largest indoor stages in the United States. History ...

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, and was hosted by Nick Jonas. Musical performers were announced during a series of social media posts. Nominees for Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Latin Male Artist, and Top Rap Female Artist were announced on April 28, 2021. The full list of nominations was presented on April 29, 2021. The Weeknd received the most nominations on the ceremony, being nominated for sixteen awards, later going on to win the most awards of the ceremony with 10 awards.

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

received the ''Billboard'' Icon Award,

Trae tha Truth Frazier Othel Thompson III (born July 3, 1980), better known by his stage name Trae tha Truth (or simply Trae), is an American rapper and record executive from Houston, Texas. Embarking on a musical career in 1998, he soon established himself ...

received the Change Maker Award, and

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

received the Artist of the Decade Award.

Background

Finalists and select winners of the 2021 ''Billboard'' Music Awards were based on ''Billboard'' charts and reports from March 21, 2020, to April 3, 2021. There are two fan-voted categories; Top Social Artist, and Top Collaboration. 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 ...

, no awards were given for any touring category, including Top Touring Artist. The ceremony was sponsored by Rockstar Energy Drink, Security Benefit, Hot Tools, and

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. Nick Jonas was announced as the host of the ceremony on April 30, 2021.

P!nk Alecia Beth Moore Hart (born September 8, 1979), known professionally as Pink (stylized as P!nk), is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She was originally a member of the girl group Choice. In 1995, LaFace Records saw potential ...

was announced as the recipient of the ''Billboard'' Icon Award and the first confirmed performer on May 4, 2021. She is the youngest recipient of the award to date, and succeeded

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 ...

, who won the award in 2020. The award was presented by

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. He ...

was announced as the second recipient of the Change Maker Award on May 13, 2021. The award was presented by Tina Knowles-Lawson. In addition, ''Billboard'' has partnered with Trae and his non-profit organization, Angels by Nature, to create the awards show's first-ever non-fungible token (NFT). The sales opened up during the weekend of the ceremony, and all proceeds were donated towards the organization. Although country singer

Morgan Wallen Morgan Cole Wallen (born May 13, 1993) is an American country singer and songwriter. He competed in the sixth season of ''The Voice'', originally as a member of Usher's team, but later as a member of Adam Levine's team. After being eliminated ...

earned six nominations this year, ''Billboard'' Music Awards producers announced that Wallen was not invited to attend the ceremony, due to a video released earlier this year by

TMZ TMZ is a tabloid news website owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, originally as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 202 ...

of him using a racial slur while with his friends in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

. In a statement, the production company noted, "Since his recent conduct does not align with our core values, we will not be including him on the show in any capacity (performing, presenting, accepting)." The company also stated that Wallen's nominations were solely based on his ''Billboard'' charts performance. ''Billboard'''s Top Artists of the 2010s Decade list was officially revealed on May 11, 2021.

ranked at number one, and was honored with the Artist of the Decade Award.

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

, who ranked at number two overall, is the top female artist of the 2010s decade. Unlike the 2020 ceremony, which had no fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic,

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 ...

allowed fully vaccinated attendees (meaning they would have had their final vaccine before May 6, 2021) to attend the ceremony. Attendees would be required to show their vaccination card before entering the venue, complete wellness screenings, have their temperature taken, sit in dedicated audience seating, and wear facial coverings at all times. There was an estimated 500–600 fans in attendance.

Performers

On May 10, 2021, performers were announced on a daily basis, leading up to the ceremony, via social media.

Presenters

The full list of presenters was announced on May 21, 2021, via social media. * Nick Jonas – host, introduced Doja Cat & SZA and Twenty One Pilots * Lil Rel Howery – presented Top Hot 100 Artist *

Gabrielle Union Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade ( Union; born October 29, 1972) is an American actress. Her career began in the 1990s, when she made dozens of appearances on television sitcoms, prior to landing supporting roles in 1999 teen films ''She's All That' ...

– presented Top Selling Song *

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

– introduced Alicia Keys *

Renée Elise Goldsberry Renée Elise Goldsberry (born January 2, 1971) is an American actress and singer known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical ''Hamilton'', for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musica ...

– presented Top Country Female Artist *

Dixie D'Amelio Dixie Jane D'Amelio ( ; born August 12, 2001) is an American singer and social media personality known for her videos on TikTok. She is the elder sister of Charli D'Amelio. She was born in Norwalk, Connecticut. In 2020, she starred in the You ...

– introduced AJR * Lena Waithe – presented Top Latin Artist *

– presented Pink with the Icon Award * Lil Baby and Nick Jonas – presented Top Hot 100 Song * Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – introduced Sounds of Blackness featuring Ann Nesby * Swizz Beatz – presented Top Rap Song * Tina Knowles – presented

with the Change Maker Award and introduced

Padma Lakshmi Padma Parvati Lakshmi (; born September 1, 1970) is an Indian-born American author, activist, actress, model, philanthropist, and television host. She has hosted the cooking competition program ''Top Chef'' on Bravo continuously since season 2 ( ...

– introduced BTS *

's friends and family — presented Drake with the Artist of the Decade Award * Chelsea Handler – presenting Top Rock Artist *

Kathryn Hahn Kathryn Marie Hahn (born July 23, 1973) is an American actress and comedian. She began her career on television, starring as grief counselor Lily Lebowski in the NBC crime drama series ''Crossing Jordan'' (2001–2007). Hahn gained prominence ap ...

– introduced Glass Animals * Henry Golding – introduced the Weeknd * Cynthia Erivo – presented Top Billboard 200 Album * Priyanka Chopra – introduced Duran Duran *

Leslie Odom Jr. Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr. (; born August 6, 1981) is an American actor and singer. He made his acting debut on Broadway in 1998 and first gained recognition for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical ''Hamilton'', which earned him a Tony Award f ...

– presented Top Artist *

Kelsea Ballerini Kelsea Nicole Ballerini (born September 12, 1993) is an American country pop singer. She began songwriting as a child and signed with Black River Entertainment in 2014, releasing her debut studio album the following year, '' The First Time''. ...

– introduced the Jonas Brothers and Marshmello

Winners and nominees

Select finalists for the 2021 ''Billboard'' Music Awards were announced on April 28, 2021. NBC's '' Today Show'' revealed the finalists for Top Hot 100 Artist live in the Pop Start segment. E!'s ''

Daily Pop ''E! Daily Pop'' is an American daytime talk show that airs on E!. It premiered on May 1, 2017. Premise The show covers pop culture and celebrity news. Cast Catt Sadler, Carissa Culiner, and Justin Sylvester were the original hosts when t ...

'' announced the finalists for Top Latin Male Artist live during their show. '' Access Hollywood'' announced the finalists for Top Rap Female Artist live during their show. Finalists in all categories were announced during the first-ever ''Billboard Music Awards - The List Live'', which was streamed on social media platforms on April 29, 2021. The show was hosted by ''Access Hollywoods Zuri Hall and comedian LaLa Milan. Finalists were presented by

Finneas Finneas Baird O'Connell (born July 30, 1997), known mononymously as Finneas ( stylized in all caps), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has written and produced music for various artists, most notably his sister, ...

Maggie Baird Maggie May Baird (born ) is an American actress, screenwriter, and former theater troupe teacher. Baird grew up in Colorado performing music, and studied theater and dance at the University of Utah, before moving to New York City, where she perf ...

Luis Fonsi Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for multiple songs, one of them being "Despacito" featuring rapper Daddy Yankee. Fonsi received his first ...

, Jon Batiste, Tate McRae, Anitta,

Bretman Rock Bretman Rock Sacayanan Laforga (born July 31, 1998) is a Filipino-American beauty influencer and social media personality based in Honolulu, Hawaii. He rose to fame as a creator on YouTube and Vine after one of his contouring videos went vir ...

Brianne Howey Brianne Nicole Howey (born May 24, 1989) is an American actress. She had main roles in the Fox series ''The Exorcist'' (2016) and '' The Passage'' (2019). She had a recurring role in the first season of The CW's superhero drama '' Batwoman'' (2 ...

Antonia Gentry Antonia Bonea Gentry (born September 25, 1998) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Virginia "Ginny" Miller in the Netflix series '' Ginny & Georgia'' (2021–present). Early life and education Antonia Gentry was born in A ...

, Chris Sullivan, Jay Pharoah, Kandi Burruss, Kyle Richards, Leslie Jordan,

Lisa Rinna Lisa D. Rinna (born Elizabeth Deann Rinna; July 11, 1963) is an American actress and television personality. As an actress, she is best known for her roles as Billie Reed on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'' and Taylor McBride o ...

, the New Voices Bay Area TIGQ Chorus, Nick DiGiovanni, Paris Hilton, Rob Gronkowski, Tanya Rad,

Brad Goreski Brad Goreski (born August 15, 1977) is a Canadian-American celebrity fashion stylist and television personality. In 2015, he joined ''Fashion Police'' as a new co-host. Since 2021, he has been one of the regular judges on ''Canada's Drag Race''. ...

, Tika the Iggy, Tim Anderson, and Wisdom Kaye. The show also featured reactions from 24kGoldn, Gabby Barrett, and

Seventeen Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

. In addition, Hall and Milan discussed the award categories, key finalist chart achievements and records. Voting for Top Social Artist and Top Collaboration opened on ''Billboard'''s official website and on social media on May 10, 2021, and closed on May 21, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. PST. On the day of the ceremony, ''

Love Island Love Island may refer to: Film * ''Love Island'' (1952 film), an American film directed by Adam Lloyd starring Todd Wathen and Eva Gabor * ''Love Island'' (2014 film), directed by Jasmila Žbanić Music * ''Love Island'' (album), a 1978 album ...

'' narrator and co-writer Matthew Hoffman hosted an

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

live on the ceremonies' official account at 10 a.m. PST, where he will announce the winners in categories that will not be aired during the main show. Winners are listed first and in bold.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Billboard Music Awards 2021 in Los Angeles 2021 awards in the United States 2021 in American music 2021 music awards Billboard awards

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May 2021 events in the United States Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the music industry Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television