Just 16 months after Olivia Rodrigo shot to stardom with the smash single “drivers license,” the teen phenom was the top winner at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, which were held Sunday (May 15) at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Billboard reports Rodrigo won seven awards, one of the strongest showings by a new artist in BBMA history. The R&B group Next won eight awards in 1998, as did R&B star Ashanti in 2002. Rodrigo’s haul included top Billboard 200 album for her debut, Sour. This marks the third consecutive year that a debut album has received this top award. Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? won two years ago. Pop Smoke’s Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon won last year.
Ye (formerly Kanye West) won six awards, more than any other male artist this year. He swept the gospel and Christian categories, taking top artist, top album and top song in both genres. This brings Ye’s career BBMA total to 17, which puts him in a tie with Eminem for seventh place on the all-time BBMA leaderboard. Ye won top gospel artist for a record third year. He also took top gospel song for a record third time and top gospel album for a record second time. (The gospel awards originated in 2016.)
The three artists with the most career BBMA honors each won multiple awards on the night, which allows them to retain their win, place and show rankings. Drake won five awards, upping his total to 34. Taylor Swift won four, advancing her total to 29. Justin Bieber won five, hiking his total to 26.
➤CLICK HERE: Full List of The 2022 Billboard Music Awards Winners
The Wrap reports the BBMAs showcased stellar performances from this year’s Icon Award honoree Mary J. Blige, the Grammy-winning R&B duo Silk Sonic (who took home the awards for Top R&B Song for “Leave the Door Open”) and Ed Sheeran, who took to the stage halfway across the world from Belfast, where he is currently on tour.
The show was also noteworthy for having the first televised performance by rapper Travis Scott since the deadly crowd crush at his Astroworld festival in Houston last November. And not only a performance by Morgan Wallen — who had been dropped from his recording contract and forced to cancel a tour early last year after using the N-word while partying in Nashville – but he also won for Top Country Male Artist.
➤CLICK HERE: For Red Carpet Photos
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