The Weeknd was nominated for a whopping 16 Billboard Music Awards and has won ten
- 24 May 2021
The Weeknd is having a great weekend: The pop star was nominated for a whopping 16 Billboard Music Awards and has won ten.
The Weeknd was named top male artist, top R&B artist and top Hot 100 artist.
"Blinding Lights," the No. 1 song of 2020, won top radio song and top R&B song, while The Weeknd's multi-hit, multi-platinum album, "After Hours," won top R&B album.
"I'd like to thank my fellow nominees. It's been a dark year and you brought light and an escape with your music," The Weeknd said onstage at Sunday's show, collecting the night's first televised award.
The awards show kicked off with a collaborative performance by DJ Khaled, H.E.R. and Migos, who performed for a number of fans outside of the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, bringing the concert vibe back to life a year after live shows were in the dark because of the pandemic.
Like The Weeknd, another Canadian star is poised to have a big night: Drake. He walked into the show as the most decorated winner in the history of the Billboard Awards, extending his record to 28 wins after being named top streaming songs artist Sunday.
He will receive the Artist of the Decade Award later in the show.
Drake and The Weeknd will battle for the show's top prize - top artist - where competition includes Taylor Swift and late rappers Juice WRLD and Pop Smoke, who won four honors in a pre-show announced Sunday, including top new artist, top rap artist and top rap album for his debut album "Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon."
The Weeknd, Swift, Juice WRLD and Pop Smoke will compete for top Billboard 200 album, along with Lil Baby.
For top Hot 100 song, nominees include The Weeknd’s "Blinding Lights,” DaBaby and Roddy Ricch’s "Rockstar,” Chris Brown and Young Thug’s "Go Crazy,” Gabby Barrett and Charlie Puth’s "I Hope,” and 24kGoldn and iann dior’s "Mood.”