iHeartRadio Music Awards 2019: Everything to Know About the Big Show
Get ready for one of music’s biggest nights!
Now in its sixth year, the iHeartRadio Music Awards taking place on Thursday will celebrate the most popular artists and biggest hits over the past year as determined by listeners tuning into iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s digital music platform.
Here’s everything you need to know before the big show:
Who’s Hosting?
T-Pain (real name: Faheem Rasheed Najm) is set to emcee the award show following a busy couple of months. On Feb. 27, he released his sixth studio album, 1UP, after winning Fox’s hit reality competition The Masked Singer.
The rapper follows in the footsteps of last year’s hosts — Hailey Baldwin (before she was known as Mrs. Bieber) and DJ Khaled.
Who’s Performing?
On Tuesday, it was announced that the Backstreet Boys will perform during the night’s ceremony, along with musicians including Ella Mai, Travis Barker, Lovely the Band and Marshmello with special guest Lauv.
The star-studded lineup also includes previously announced performers Alicia Keys, Ariana Grande, Halsey, Garth Brooks, John Legend and Kacey Musgraves.
Who’s Nominated?
Cardi B leads the pack this year with a whopping 14 nominations, followed by Drake with eight. Grande, Shawn Mendes, Post Malone, Maroon 5 and Imagine Dragons all have multiple nominations at the awards show.
The Song of the Year nominees include Malone, Maroon 5 (with Cardi B), Drake, Ed Sheeran and Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey.
Fans will also get some recognition this year in the Best Fan Army award category. Up for the award are 5 Seconds of Summer’s #5SOSFam, Grande’s #Arianators, Justin Bieber’s #Beliebers, BTS‘ #BTSArmy, Cardi B’s #BardiGang, Mendes’ #MendesArmy, Camila Cabello’s #Camilizers, Harry Styles‘ #Stylers, Lauren Jauregui’s #Jaguars, Why Don’t We’s #Limelights, Zayn’s #Zquad, and Taylor Swift’s #Swifties.
RELATED: Backstreet Boys to Perform, Katy Perry and Maren Morris to Present at iHeartRadio Music Awards
Who Else Is Receiving Honors?
Taylor Swift will receive the iHeartRadio Tour of the Year award for her smash Reputation Stadium tour. The “Delicate” singer’s record-breaking 2018 trek became the highest-grossing tour by a woman, with two million tickets sold in the United States and $266 million in sales.
Meanwhile, Keys will take home the iHeartRadio Innovator award for her contributions to pop culture and social causes as an artist, songwriter, producer, entrepreneur and activist. Halsey will be presented with the 2019 Fangirls award, which “recognizes a female artist who has pushed boundaries with her music and message while inspiring her fans,” according to a press release.
Garth Brooks will be presented with the first-ever iHeartRadio Artist of the Decade award. The country superstar is the number-one selling solo artist in U.S. history.
RELATED VIDEO: Taylor Swift Kicks Off Her Reputation Stadium Tour with Lots and Lots of Snakes (and Joe Alwyn!) — All the Details
Who’s Presenting?
The A-list squad of presenters includes stars like Katy Perry, Morris, Shay Mitchell, Zedd, Pharrell Williams and Jamie Foxx and his daughter Corinne.
Bebe Rexha, Elle Fanning, Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke, and Steven Tyler are also slated to present.
How Can I Watch?
The 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on March 14 at 8 p.m. EST on Fox.
Is There a Pre-Show?
Fans can watch all the stars on the red carpet via iHeartRadio’s Facebook page starting at 6:30 p.m. ET, as well as follow along on all of iHeartRadio’s social media accounts, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Join the conversation as you watch live by using the hashtag #iHeartAwards on social media.
