The 2021 Billboard Music Awards were presented this Sunday, 23rd of May. Held at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, the event returned seven months after its pandemic-delayed preceding edition. Hosted by Nick Jonas, it was aired live on NBC, at 8 p.m ET.
The Weeknd, who was a finalist in 16 categories, dominated the awards show, taking home ten trophies, including the night’s biggest win, Top Artist. For his explosive smash “Blinding Lights,” he also won Top 100 Artist and Top Hot 100 Song. BTS also swept awards, winning every category in which they were nominated for their hit “Dynamite,” including Top Duo/Group, Top Song Sales Artist, Top Social Artist, and Top Selling Song. During the ceremony, the band gave the first live performance of “Butter,” their most recent single, which was released on Friday.
Bad Bunny won four awards — Top Latin Artist, Top Latin Male Artist, Top Latin Album, and Top Latin Song — and the late rapper Pop Smoke won five, including Top Billboard 200 Album for “Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon,” which earned record-breaking posthumous recognition as a finalist in ten categories. “Thank you for respecting my young warrior,” Audrey Jackson, his mother, said to the crowd as she accepted the award on his behalf.
Best Rock Artist winner, Machine Gun Kelly, showed up on the red carpet with a rather unusual fashion statement: a jet-black tongue. His social media reveals that he had his tongue painted black with a cotton bud. He made sure his tongue was noticed, sticking it out to the cameras, and touching tongues with his girlfriend, Megan Fox on the red carpet.
Pink accepted the Icon Award from rockstar, Bon Jovi and admitted to being obsessed with him since she was eight years old, locking herself in her room for a week after his wedding. “I’m very glad you found lasting love, Jon, but you broke my heart. I take this as an apology,” she joked on receiving the trophy. She also performed a medley of her best hits from her career, but her aerial performance with her nine-year-old, Willow Sage, to their duet, “Cover Me In Sunshine,” stole the show.
Drake bagged the Artist of the Decade award, which he accepted along with his three-year-old son, Adonis, on stage. “I’m really self-conscious about my music,” he spoke as a part of his acceptance speech, “I’ve spent an incalculable amount of hours trying to analyze all the things I did wrong, but tonight for once I’m sure as hell we did something right.”
Find the complete list of winners below:
Top Artist: The Weeknd
Icon Award: Pink
Artist of the Decade: Drake
Change Maker Award: Trae Tha Truth
Top New Artist: Pop Smoke
Top Male Artist: The Weeknd
Top Female Artist: Taylor Swift
Top Duo/Group: BTS
Top Billboard 200 Artist: Taylor Swift
Top Billboard 100 Artist: The Weeknd
Top Streaming Song Artist: Drake
Top Song Sales Artist: BTS
Top Radio Songs Artist: The Weeknd
Top Social Artist: BTS
Top R&B Artist: The Weeknd
Top R&B Male Artist: The Weeknd
Top R&B Female Artist: Doja Cat
Top Dance/Electronic Artist: Lady Gaga
Top Christian Artist: Elevation Worship
Top Gospel Artist: Kanye West
Top Billboard 200 Album: Pop Smoke, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon
Top R&B Album: The Weeknd, After Hours
Top Rap Album: Pop Smoke, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon
Top Country Album: Morgan Wallen, Dangerous: The Double Album
Top Rock Album: Machine Gun Kelly, Tickets to My Downfall
Top Latin Album: Bad Bunny, YHLQMDLG
Top Dance/Electronic Album: Lady Gaga, Chromatica
Top Christian Album: Carrie Underwood, My Gift
Top Gospel Album: Maverick City Music, Maverick City Vol. 3 Part 1
Top Hot 100 Song Presented by Rockstar: The Weeknd, Blinding Lights
Top Streaming Song: DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch, Rockstar
Top Selling Song: BTS, Dynamite
Top Radio Song: The Weeknd, Blinding Lights
Top Collaboration: Gabby Barrett ft. Charlie Puth, I Hope
Top R&B Song: The Weeknd, Blinding Lights
Top Rap Song: DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch, Rockstar
Top Country Song: Gabby Barrett, I Hope
Top Rock Song: AJR, Bang
Top Latin Song: Bad Bunny & Jhay Cortez, Dákiti
Top Dance/Electric Song: SAINt JHN, Roses (Imanbek Remix)
Top Christian Song: Elevation Worship ft. Brandon Lake, Graves Into Gardens
Top Gospel Song: Kanye West ft. Travis Scott, Wash Us In The Blood