BURBANK–The fan-fueled third annual iHeartRadio Music Awards will be hosted by Jason Derulo April 3, bringing the music of the iHeartRadio app to life at the historic Forum in Los Angeles.
The 2016 telecast will feature today’s biggest artists and songs with live performances by Zayn, Chris Brown, DNCE, Fetty Wap and Demi Lovato who were added to the list of already announced performers including Justin Bieber and Meghan Trainor, with more to come. The telecast will also feature first-time duets and collaborations, celebrity guest appearances, live award presentations, and exclusive can’t-miss special performances by Pitbull and Maroon 5 that will be simulcast from the Capital One JamFest, which is part of the March Madness Music Festival taking place in Houston, TX. This is the first year for the Turner networks to simulcast the event, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 3, the night between the NCAA Final Four National Semifinals and the NCAA National Championship on TBS.
“iHeartRadio has been such an important supporter of mine, and I’m thrilled and honored to be hosting this year’s iHeartRadio Music Awards,” said Jason Derulo. “2015 was an incredible year for so many talented artists. It’s going to be a great night of celebration and performance for music fans all across the country, and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it.”
“Over the past four years we have seen Jason evolve into a global superstar,” said John Sykes, President of Entertainment Enterprises for iHeartMedia. “When we were choosing a host, there was no doubt in our minds that Jason was the man for the job.”
“Jason Derulo embodies all of the qualities of the perfect host for our show,” said Tom Poleman, President of iHeartMedia’s National Programming Group. “Anyone who has ever seen Jason perform knows that he has the rare ability to completely connect with his audience. Since the iHeartRadio Music Awards is about bringing fans and artists together, there is no better liaison than Jason. He is a creative and talented artist with the same passion and energy as our fans, making him the perfect bridge between the two groups.”
Nominees for the iHeartRadio Music Awards were announced on February 9. Fan voting will determine this year’s “Best Fan Army presented by Taco Bell,” “Best Lyrics,” “Best Collaboration” and the first-ever “Best Cover Song,” “Best Song from a Movie,” “Most Meme-Able Moment” and “Biggest Triple Threat” awards. Voting began through iHeartMedia’s social media partner Telescope on February 9 and will extend through March 25, with the “Best Fan Army presented by Taco Bell” and “Most Meme-Able Moment” voting continuing through the evening of the awards on April 3. Fans can vote by visiting iheartradio.com/awards.
This year’s awards will feature a broad array of categories. Category finalists (by alphabetical order) are:
Song of the Year:
- “Blank Space” – Taylor Swift
- “Can’t Feel My Face” – The Weeknd
- “Hello” – Adele
- “Shut Up and Dance” – WALK THE MOON
- “Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
Female Artist of the Year: (New Category)
- Adele
- Carrie Underwood
- Meghan Trainor
- Selena Gomez
- Taylor Swift
Male Artist of the Year: (New Category)
- Ed Sheeran
- Justin Bieber
- Luke Bryan
- Sam Smith
- The Weeknd
Best New Artist:
- Fetty Wap
- Hozier
- Sam Hunt
- Shawn Mendes
- Tove Lo
Best Duo/Group of the Year: (New Category)
- Fall Out Boy
- Maroon 5
- One Direction
- WALK THE MOON
- Zac Brown Band
Album of the Year: (New Category)
- 1989 – Taylor Swift
- 25 – Adele
- Beauty Behind the Madness – The Weeknd
- In the Lonely Hour – Sam Smith
- X – Ed Sheeran
Best Tour: (New Category)
- Foo Fighters
- Garth Brooks
- Luke Bryan
- Taylor Swift
- U2
Alternative Rock Artist of the Year: (New Category)
- AWOLNATION
- Foo Fighters
- Muse
- Twenty One Pilots
- X Ambassadors
Alternative Rock Song of the Year:
- “Cigarette Daydreams” – Cage The Elephant
- “Ex’s & Oh’s” – Elle King
- “Renegades” – X Ambassadors
- “Shut Up and Dance” – Walk The Moon
- “Stressed Out” – Twenty One Pilots
Rock Artist of the Year: (New Category)
- Breaking Benjamin
- Disturbed
- Five Finger Death Punch
- Foo Fighters
- Three Days Grace
Rock Song of the Year: (New Category)
- “Cut The Cord” – Shinedown
- “Failure” – Breaking Benjamin
- “Footsteps” – Pop Evil
- “Heavy Is The Head” – Zac Brown Band featuring Chris Cornell
- “I Am Machine” – Three Days Grace
Country Song of the Year:
- “Buy Me A Boat” – Chris Janson
- “Homegrown” – Zac Brown Band
- “I See You” – Luke Bryan
- “Lose My Mind” – Brett Eldredge
- “Take Your Time” – Sam Hunt
Country Artist of the Year: (New Category)
- Blake Shelton
- Brad Paisley
- Luke Bryan
- Sam Hunt
- Thomas Rhett
Dance Song of the Year:
- “Hey Mama” – David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha & Afrojack
- “Lean On” – Major Lazer & DJ Snake featuring MØ
- “Waves” – Mr. Probz
- “Where Are Ü Now” – Skrillex & Diplo with Justin Bieber
- “You Know You Like It” – DJ Snake & AlunaGeorge
Dance Artist of the Year: (New Category)
- Calvin Harris
- David Guetta
- Major Lazer
- Skrillex & Diplo
- Zedd
Hip Hop Song of the Year: (New Category)
- “Blessings” – Big Sean featuring Drake & Kanye West
- “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)” – Rich Homie Quan
- “Hotline Bling” – Drake
- “Trap Queen” – Fetty Wap
- “Truffle Butter” – Nicki Minaj featuring Drake & Lil Wayne
Hip Hop Artist of the Year: (New Category)
- Big Sean
- Drake
- Fetty Wap
- Future
- J. Cole
R&B Song of the Year: (New Category)
- “Bitch Better Have My Money” – Rihanna
- “Earned It” – The Weeknd
- “Planez” – Jeremih featuring J. Cole
- “Post To Be” – Omarion featuring Chris Brown & Jhene Aiko
- “The Hills” – The Weeknd
R&B Artist of the Year: (New Category)
- Beyoncé
- Chris Brown
- The Weeknd
- Trey Songz
- Usher
Latin Song of the Year: (New Category)
- “Ay Vamos” – J Balvin
- “El Perdón” – Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias
- “Hilito” – Romeo Santos
- “La Gozadera” – Gente De Zona featuring Marc Anthony
- “Mi Verdad” – Maná featuring Shakira
Latin Artist of the Year: (New Category)
- Enrique Iglesias
- J Balvin
- Nicky Jam
- Pitbull
- Prince Royce
Regional Mexican Song of the Year: (New Category)
- “Aunque Ahora Estés Con Él” – Calibre 50
- “Eres Una Niña” – Gerardo Ortiz
- “Levantando Polvadera” – Voz de Mando
- “Mi Vicio Más Grande” – Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga
- “Te Metiste” – Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho
Regional Mexican Artist of the Year: (New Category)
- Banda Los Recoditos
- Calibre 50
- Gerardo Ortiz
- Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda
- Voz De Mando
Best Lyrics: *Socially Voted Category
- “Die A Happy Man” – Thomas Rhett
- “Fight Song” – Rachel Platten
- “Hello” – Adele
- “Photograph” – Ed Sheeran
- “See You Again” – Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
Best Collaboration: *Socially Voted Category
- “Bad Blood” – Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar
- “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” – Meghan Trainor featuring John Legend
- “See You Again” – Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
- “Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
- “Where Are Ü Now” – Skrillex & Diplo with Justin Bieber
Best Cover Song: (New Category) *Socially Voted Category
- “1989” (Album in Full) – Ryan Adams covering Taylor Swift
- “Bad Blood” – Alessia Cara covering Taylor Swift
- “Bitch Better Have My Money” – Kelly Clarkson covering Rihanna
- “Cheerleader” – Pentatonix covering Omi
- “Hands To Myself/Sorry” – Troy Sivan covering Selena Gomez And Justin Bieber
- “Hello” – Demi Lovato covering Adele
- “Hotline Bling” – Justin Bieber covering Drake
- “Hotline Bling” – Sam Smith & Disclosure covering Drake
- “Trap Queen” – Ed Sheeran covering Fetty Wap
- “Uptown Funk” – Fifth Harmony, Jasmine V, Jacob Whitesides and Mahogany Lox covering Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
Best Song from a Movie: (New Category) *Socially Voted Category
- “Earned It” – The Weeknd (50 Shades of Grey)
- “Love Me Like You Do” – Ellie Goulding (50 Shades of Grey)
- “See You Again” – Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth (Furious 7)
- “Til It Happens To You” – Lady Gaga (The Hunting Ground)
- “Writing’s On The Wall” – Sam Smith (Spectre)
Most Meme-able Moment: (New Category) *Socially Voted Category
- Adele and all of the “Hello” memes (Lionel Richie, Miss Piggy, Etc.)
- Drake and “Hotline Bling”
- Katy Perry and the Left Shark (from Super Bowl 49)
- Kanye West and Kanye For President / Kanye 2020
- Taylor Swift’s “Crazy Girl” with Running Mascara (from “Blank Space” video)
Best Fan Army presented by Taco Bell: *Socially Voted Category
- 5 Seconds of Summer – 5SOSFam
- Adam Lambert – Glamberts
- Ariana Grande – Arianators
- Demi Lovato – Lovatics
- Fifth Harmony – Harmonizers
- Justin Bieber – Beliebers
- Little Mix – Mixers
- Nicki Minaj – Barbz
- One Direction – Directioners
- Selena Gomez – Selenators
- Shawn Mendes – Mendes Army
- Taylor Swift – Swifties
Biggest Triple Threat *Socially Voted Category
- Hailee Steinfeld – Singer / Actor / Model
- Jason Derulo – Singer / Host / Dancer
- Jennifer Lopez – Singer / Actor / Dancer
- Justin Timberlake – Singer / Actor / Dancer
- Lady Gaga – Singer / Actor / Activist
- Nick Jonas – Singer / Actor / Model
- Selena Gomez – Singer / Actor / Dancer
- Troye Sivan –Singer / Actor / YouTuber
- Usher – Singer / Actor / Dancer
- Zendaya – Singer / Actor / Dancer
The event will air live on TBS, TNT and truTV at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will broadcast on iHeartMedia stations nationwide, as well as on the iHeartRadio digital music platform.
The awards are produced by iHeartMedia and Den of Thieves. Executive Producers for iHeartMedia are John Sykes, Tom Poleman and Lee Rolontz. Den of Thieves Executive Producers are Evan Prager and Chris Choun with Co-Executive Producers Barb Bialkowski and Baz Halpin.