2022 Billboard Music Awards
The 2022 Billboard Music Awards was the 29th annual edition of the ceremony honoring top-performing artists, albums, and songs based on Billboard chart data from the eligibility period spanning late 2020 to early 2022. Held on May 15 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas—the event's first return to the venue since 2019—it was hosted and executive produced by Sean Combs and broadcast live on NBC.[1] Drake claimed the most wins with five trophies, including Top Artist and Top Rap Artist, extending his all-time record total to 34; Doja Cat secured four awards such as Top R&B Artist, while Taylor Swift took home four including Top Billboard 200 Artist.[2][3] The Weeknd, leading nominations with 17 nods ahead of Doja Cat's 14, won one award that evening, bringing his career haul to 20.[3] Performances highlighted returns by Travis Scott—his first televised appearance following the 2021 Astroworld Festival crowd crush that resulted in 10 deaths—and Morgan Wallen, who took the stage after a 2021 recording of him using the N-word led to industry blacklisting and exclusion from the prior year's event. Mary J. Blige received the Icon Award for her contributions to music, delivering a speech emphasizing resilience amid personal challenges.[4][5]Background
Development and announcement
On February 16, 2022, NBC and MRC Live & Alternative announced the return of the Billboard Music Awards to Las Vegas, Nevada, with the ceremony scheduled to broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 15, 2022, at 8 p.m. ET.[6][7] This decision followed the 2021 event, which had been held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles rather than the awards' traditional Las Vegas venue, reflecting adjustments made during the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] The awards' eligibility was determined by artists' performance on Billboard charts over the 12-month period from April 10, 2021, to March 26, 2022, including metrics such as album and track equivalent sales, radio airplay, streaming, and social media activity.[8] Nominations, totaling 52 categories, were unveiled on April 8, 2022, with The Weeknd leading as the most nominated artist with 18 nods, followed by Doja Cat with 14.[9] On April 22, 2022, Sean Combs, known professionally as Diddy, was selected to host and executive produce the event, leveraging his extensive influence as a rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur who had previously won a Billboard Music Award in 1997.[1][10] Combs described the role as a "full circle moment," marking 25 years since his first BBMA recognition.[1]Eligibility period and selection methodology
The eligibility period for the 2022 Billboard Music Awards encompassed Billboard chart performance from April 10, 2021, through March 26, 2022, capturing data on artist and release achievements during that timeframe.[11][9] This period aligned with key tracking windows for sales, streaming, and airplay metrics provided by Billboard's data partner Luminate, focusing on verifiable U.S. market consumption rather than subjective evaluations.[9] Nominations and winners were determined using an objective, data-centric methodology that aggregated fan interactions across multiple indicators, including album and digital song sales, streaming activity, radio airplay audience impressions, touring revenue, and social media engagement.[9][12] Unlike awards reliant on voter panels or fan ballots, this approach prioritized empirical evidence of commercial viability, with finalists selected as the top performers in eligible categories based on aggregated chart rankings.[9] The process excluded qualitative judgments, ensuring outcomes reflected measurable market dominance over promotional or cultural narratives. This methodology yielded nominations led by The Weeknd with 17 nods, followed by Doja Cat with 14, underscoring the awards' alignment with quantifiable success in sales and streaming metrics rather than institutional preferences.[9] Across 62 categories, including new additions like Top Billboard Global 200 Artist, selections highlighted artists whose releases drove the highest verified consumption during the period.[9]Ceremony
Date, venue, and hosting
The 2022 Billboard Music Awards took place on May 15, 2022, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, restoring the event's customary large-scale, in-person assembly after scaled-back formats in preceding years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][13] The venue, a frequent host for the ceremony since 2019, accommodated thousands of attendees for the live proceedings, which emphasized real-time execution without virtual elements.[14] Sean "Diddy" Combs served as host and executive producer, leveraging his longstanding music industry influence to orchestrate the event's flow.[1] Combs commenced the show with an opening monologue highlighting themes of love and positivity, framing his role as a "full circle moment" tied to his career origins.[15] Production incorporated pre-ceremony red carpet arrivals starting in the afternoon, setting the stage for the evening's high-profile gatherings.[16]Broadcast details
The 2022 Billboard Music Awards aired live on NBC from 8:00 p.m. ET to 11:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT to 8:00 p.m. PT) on May 15, 2022.[17][18] The event was simultaneously available for streaming on Peacock, NBCUniversal's subscription-based platform.[19][20] Produced by dick clark productions, the three-hour telecast originated from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and incorporated a combination of live segments and pre-recorded content to accommodate performer schedules and production needs.[21] For instance, the performance by Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, performing as Silk Sonic, was pre-taped and screened for the in-person audience during the broadcast.[22] Pre-show coverage included red carpet arrivals, broadcast live on E! via "Live From E!" starting approximately one hour before the main telecast, featuring host interviews and fashion highlights.[23][24] An official pre-show stream, hosted by Erin Lim Rhodes and Justin Sylvester, was also available online via Billboard's platforms.[24]Entertainment segments
Performers and performances
The 2022 Billboard Music Awards showcased a range of musical performances emphasizing chart-topping singles and album tracks, selected to highlight artists' commercial dominance during the eligibility period from October 2020 to September 2021, with many acts debuting live renditions of recent releases to boost visibility for ongoing hits.[21] These segments contributed to the ceremony's high-energy atmosphere, blending pop, hip-hop, country, and R&B to reflect Billboard's data-driven metrics of radio airplay, sales, and streaming success.[2] Key performances included:| Artist | Song(s) Performed |
|---|---|
| Travis Scott | "Mafia" (live premiere tied to Utopia previews) |
| Morgan Wallen | "Wasted on You," "Don't Think Jesus" (promoting country chart leaders from Dangerous: The Double Album) |
| Ed Sheeran | "2step" (featuring live elements from = album collaboration with Lil Baby) |
| Burna Boy | "Kilometre," "Last Last" (Afrobeats medley showcasing global streaming breakthroughs) |
| Becky G | "MAMIII" (with Karol G; bilingual hit from recent EP emphasizing Latin pop crossover appeal) |
Presenters
The 2022 Billboard Music Awards featured presenters spanning hip-hop, pop, R&B, and entertainment, selected for their chart-topping successes and broad appeal to enhance the ceremony's energy and draw diverse audiences. Key figures included the City Girls, whose platinum-certified tracks like "Twerk" demonstrated rap genre dominance; DJ Khaled, a prolific producer with multiple number-one collaborations on the Billboard Hot 100; and Pusha T, whose album It's Almost Dry debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, underscoring hip-hop's commercial force.[21][30] Additional presenters such as Brazilian singer Anitta, known for global hits crossing into the Hot 100; Michael Bublé, with enduring pop-jazz sales exceeding 75 million records worldwide; Chloe Bailey of Chloe x Halle, whose solo debut "Have Mercy" reached number 28 on the Hot 100; and Giveon, whose R&B singles like "Heartbreak Anniversary" topped charts, added cross-genre star power.[21][31] Actors and personalities like Anthony Anderson, Tiffany Haddish, and model Heidi Klum, paired in some segments, bridged music with television and fashion, amplifying the event's cultural reach.[31][32] These individuals, many with verifiable Billboard chart impacts, primarily facilitated the three-hour broadcast's flow by introducing segments, fostering excitement without altering outcomes determined solely by chart metrics from the eligibility period of October 16, 2021, to April 8, 2022.[21] Their diverse backgrounds reflected industry dynamics, prioritizing verifiable fame over performative elements.Awards
Categories and nominations
The 2022 Billboard Music Awards encompassed 62 categories honoring achievements on Billboard charts, determined by aggregated data from album and track equivalent sales, streaming activity, radio airplay, and social media fan interactions during the eligibility period of April 10, 2021, to March 26, 2022.[9][33] These categories emphasized quantifiable dominance in music consumption, prioritizing artists and works with the highest empirical metrics over subjective criteria like critical acclaim.[9] Core general categories included Top Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top New Artist, and Top Streaming Songs Artist, capturing broad-market leaders across platforms.[34] Genre-specific breakdowns extended to Top Country Artist, Top R&B Artist, Top Rock Artist, Top Latin Artist, Top Christian Artist, and others, ensuring representation of niche chart performance while maintaining a focus on verifiable consumption volume.[35] Five new categories were introduced to reflect global reach: Top Billboard Global 200 Artist, Top Billboard Global Excl. U.S. Artist, Top Billboard Global 200 Song, Top Billboard Global Excl. U.S. Song, and Top Song Sales, incorporating international streaming and sales data for a more comprehensive view of worldwide empirical success.[35][33] Nomination tallies underscored disparities in chart dominance, with established acts leveraging sustained output and streaming volume against emerging artists' breakout hits; for instance, The Weeknd received 17 nominations, correlating to his album Dawn FM and singles' top rankings in sales and streams, followed by Doja Cat with 14 nods driven by Planet Her's multi-format traction.[9][36] Justin Bieber, Ye, and Olivia Rodrigo each garnered 13, reflecting Bieber's consistent Hot 100 presence, Ye's album Donda metrics, and Rodrigo's rapid ascent via Sour despite her relative newcomer status.[9] This distribution illustrated how nominations rewarded raw data superiority, favoring artists with higher aggregate consumption over evenly distributed recognition.[37]Winners and notable outcomes
Olivia Rodrigo achieved the highest number of wins with seven awards, including Top New Artist, Top Female Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Song Sales Artist, Top Radio Songs Artist, Top Billboard 200 Album for Sour, and Top Rock Album for Sour, establishing a record for the most wins by a first-time finalist and underscoring the debut project's dominance in sales and streaming metrics from October 2020 to September 2021.[3][2]Drake claimed Top Artist, Top Male Artist, Top Rap Artist, Top Billboard Global Artist, and Top Billboard Global Excl. U.S., accumulating five victories that elevated his career total to 34 and extended his lead as the most decorated performer in the awards' history, driven by sustained chart performance across multiple genres.[3][2]
Doja Cat prevailed in four R&B-focused categories: Top R&B Artist, Top R&B Female Artist, Top R&B Album for Planet Her, and Top Viral Songs, reflecting robust fan consumption via streams and downloads.[2][11]
The Weeknd secured wins in Top Canadian Artist, Top Hot 100 Song for "Save Your Tears," and Top Radio Song for the same track, adding to his prior totals and highlighting cross-border streaming success.[2][11]
Kanye West (Ye) swept all six Christian and Gospel categories—Top Christian Artist, Top Gospel Artist, Top Christian Album and Top Gospel Album for Donda, Top Christian Song for "Hurricane," and Top Gospel Song for "Come to Life"—demonstrating Donda's commercial endurance with over 600,000 equivalent units sold despite the artist's ongoing personal and public disputes, as awards eligibility hinged solely on verifiable chart data.[2][11]
These results, derived from aggregated Billboard chart rankings measuring album sales, track equivalents, streaming activity, radio airplay, and touring revenue, affirm market-driven validation through quantifiable consumer behavior rather than curatorial selection.[3]