The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'', 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 the years 2007 through 2010. The event was formerly staged in December but since returning in 2011, it has been held in May.

Awards process

Unlike other awards, such as the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

, which determine nominations as a result of the highest votes received by the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...

, the ''Billboard'' Music Awards finalists are based on album and digital songs sales, streaming, radio airplay, touring, and social engagement. These measurements are tracked year-round by ''Billboard'' and its data partners, including

MRC Data Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and ev ...

and

Next Big Sound Next Big Sound (NBS) is a New York-based company which provides analytics for online music. The company analyses the popularity of musicians in social networks, streaming services, and radio. The company was acquired by Pandora Radio in May 201 ...

. The 2018 awards were based on the reporting period of April 8, 2017 through March 31, 2018. Awards are given for the top album, artist and single in a number of different

music genres A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from '' musical form'' and musical style, although in practice these terms are som ...

Awards

Categories

From 1989 to 2006, the show had the same categories and category names every year. In 2011, for the first time, all of the awards were renamed to "Top

ward title Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

. The "of the year" portion of each category title no longer exists, and many of the awards have been further renamed. Other awards, including both "crossover" awards (No. 1 Classical Crossover Artist and No. 1 Classical Crossover Album) were discontinued. As of 2017, there are two fan-voted categories.

Current categories

The general categories are Top Artist, Top Billboard 200 Album, Top Hot 100 Song and Top New Artist. These categories highlighted in each award and other categories are divided by genre. * Top Artist * Top New Artist * Top Male Artist * Top Female Artist * Top Duo/Group * Top ''Billboard 200'' Artist * Top ''Billboard 200'' Album * Top Hot 100 Artist * Top Hot 100 Song * Top Touring Artist * Top Song Sales Artist (since 2016) * Top Selling Album (since 2018) * Top Selling Song (since 2016) * Top Radio Songs Artist * Top Radio Song * Top Streaming Artist * Top Streaming Song (Audio) * Top Streaming Song (Video) * Top R&B Artist *Top R&B Male Artist (since 2018) *Top R&B Female Artist (since 2018) * Top R&B Album * Top R&B Song *Top R&B Tour (since 2017) * Top Rap Artist * Top Rap Male Artist (since 2018) * Top Rap Female Artist (since 2018) * Top Rap Album * Top Rap Song *Top Rap Tour (since 2017) * Top Country Artist *Top Country Male Artist (since 2018) *Top Country Female Artist (since 2018) *Top Country Duo/Group Artist (since 2018) * Top Country Album * Top Country Song *Top Country Tour (since 2017) * Top Rock Artist * Top Rock Album * Top Rock Song *Top Rock Tour (since 2017) * Top Latin Artist *Top Latin Male Artist (since 2021) *Top Latin Female Artist (since 2021) *Top Latin Duo/Group (since 2021) * Top Latin Album * Top Latin Song * Top Dance/Electronic Artist (since 2014) * Top Dance/Electronic Album (since 2014) * Top Dance/Electronic Song (since 2014) * Top Christian Artist * Top Christian Album * Top Christian Song * Top Gospel Artist (since 2016) * Top Gospel Album (since 2016) * Top Gospel Song (since 2016) * Top Soundtrack (1993, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2015 – present) * Top Social Artist (fan-voted) * ''Billboard'' Chart Achievement (since 2015, fan-voted) * Top Collaboration (since 2017, fan-voted)

Retired categories (1990–2017)

*Top Alternative Album *Top Alternative Artist *Top Alternative Song *Top Classical Crossover Artist *Top Classical Crossover Album *Top Country Collaboration (2017) *Top Dance Artist (until 2013) *Top Dance Album (until 2013) *Top Dance Song (until 2013) *Top Digital Media Artist (until 2012) *Top Digital Songs Artist (until 2015) *Top Digital Song (until 2015) *Top EDM Artist (until 2013) *Top EDM Album (until 2013) *Top EDM Song (until 2013) *Top Independent Artists *Top Independent Album *Top Modern Rock Artist *Top Modern Rock Track *Top New Male Artist *Top New Female Artist *Top New Group/Band *Top New Song *Top Pop Song (until 2013) *Top Pop Album (until 2013) *Top Pop Artist (until 2013) *Top Pop Punk Artist * Top Rap Artist (until 2017) *Top R&B Collaboration (2017) *Top Rap Collaboration (2017) *Top Rhythmic Top 40 Title *Top Selling Single *Top Soundtrack Single of the Year *Milestone Award (2013, 2014)

Special awards

Artist Achievement Award

* 1993:

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

* 1994:

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...

* 1995:

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

* 1996:

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

* 1997:

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 ...

* 1999:

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...

* 2001:

* 2002:

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 ...

* 2004:

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

* 2005:

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

Artist of the Decade Award

* 1990's:

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 w ...

* 2010's:

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 ...

* 2020's:

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. Bo ...

Millennium Award

* 2011:

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

* 2012:

(award accepted by her daughter,

Bobbi Kristina Brown Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown (March 4, 1993 – July 26, 2015) was an American reality television personality. She was the daughter and only child of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. Her parents' fame kept Brown in the public eye, a ...

) * 2016:

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage producti ...

Century Award

* 1992:

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

* 1993:

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaugh ...

* 1994:

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...

* 1995:

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her st ...

* 1996:

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound feature ...

* 1997: Chet Atkins * 1998:

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-sell ...

* 1999:

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, includin ...

* 2000:

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern-accented singing style, early Americana-influenced songs (often with mordant or satirical lyrics), and vari ...

* 2001:

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumen ...

* 2002:

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart w ...

* 2003:

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...

* 2004:

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...

* 2005:

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...

* 2006:

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...

Icon Award

*2011:

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

*2012:

*2013:

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

*2014:

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series '' In Living Color'', where she re ...

*2016:

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

*2017:

*2018:

*2019:

*2020:

*2021: P!nk *2022: Mary J. Blige

Spotlight Award

* In 1988,

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

was honored with ''Billboard'''s first Spotlight Award for being the first artist in music history to have five consecutive number ones singles on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 from one album. This happened before the Awards were televised. * In 2012,

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her campy style, she has been referred to ...

was honored with ''Billboard'''s second Spotlight award for being the second and first female artist in music history to have five consecutive number ones singles on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 from one album.

Change Maker Award

* 2020:

Killer Mike Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, actor, and activist. Mike made his debut on Outkast's 2000 LP '' Stankonia'', and later appeared on their Grammy-winning single "T ...

* 2021:

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 ...

* 2022: Mari Copeny

Other special awards

*1992: Special Award commemorating the 10th Anniversary of ''

Thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

'':

*1992: No. 1 World Album for '' Dangerous'' and No. 1 World Single for " Black or White":

*1993: Special Award for the first single with most weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (14 weeks for "

I Will Always Love You "I Will Always Love You" is a song written and originally recorded in 1973 by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Written as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, expressing Parton's decision to pursue a solo career, ...

"):

*1996: Special Award for most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (16 weeks for "

One Sweet Day "One Sweet Day" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and vocal group Boyz II Men. The song was released on as the second single from Carey's fifth studio album, ''Daydream'' (1995) by Columbia Records. The artists co ...

"):

and

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan ...

*1997: Special Award honoring "

Candle In the Wind 1997 "Candle in the Wind 1997", also known as "Goodbye England's Rose" and "Candle in the Wind '97", is a song by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, a re-written and re-recorded version of their 1973 song "Candle in the Wind". ...

" as the all-time best selling single:

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

and

Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English songwriter, singer and visual artist. He is best known for his long-term collaboration with musician Elton John, a songwriting partnership that is one of the most successful in history. Tau ...

*1998: Special Award for the most No. 1s ever by a female artist (13):

*2000: Special Award for biggest one-week sales ever of an album: '' No Strings Attached'',

NSYNC NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their 'N Sync (album), self-titled debut album was successfully rele ...

*2000: Special Award for biggest one-week sales of an album ever by a female artist, '' Oops!... I Did It Again'',

*2001: Special Award for biggest one-week sales for an album in 2001: ''

Celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in spor ...

'',

*2002: Special Award for 1982 album ''

'', which spent more weeks at No. 1 (37) than any other album in the history of the ''Billboard'' 200:

*2003: Special Award for Most weeks at No. 1: Beyonce (17 weeks with "Crazy in Love" featuring Jay-Z and "Baby Boy" featuring Sean Paul)

Most wins

The record for most ''Billboard'' Music Awards won by a female artist is held by

who has won 29 awards. The record for most ''Billboard'' Music Awards won by a group is held by BTS who have won 12 awards. Most Wins in a single ceremony

Performances

Broadcast

Since its inception (created by Rick Garson, Paul Flattery & Jim Yukich), the BMAs had been telecast on the Fox network; however due to contractual expirations and other unforeseen circumstances, the awards were cancelled for 2007. Plans for a new version of the awards in 2008 (in association with AEG Live) fell through, and the BMAs were not held until 2011. On February 17, 2011, ''Billboard'' announced that it would bring the BMAs back to television, moving from its original home on Fox to its new network, ABC, on May 22, 2011. A new award statuette was created by New York firm Society Awards.

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 e ...

, which is co-owned with ''Billboard'', began producing the ceremony in 2014. On November 28, 2017, it was announced that the ''Billboard'' Music Awards would be moving from ABC to NBC beginning in 2018 under a multi-year contract. The 2020 ceremony, originally scheduled for April 29, was postponed indefinitely on March 17 due to coronavirus-related public assembly concerns. On August 14, 2020, it was announced that the 2020 ceremony had been rescheduled to October 14.

Ratings

References

External links

* {{italic title, string=Billboard Billboard (magazine) Fox Broadcasting Company original programming American annual television specials American Broadcasting Company original programming Television series by Dick Clark Productions Awards established in 1990 Awards disestablished in 2007 Awards established in 2011