Finalists Unveiled For 2016 iHR Music Awards

iHeartMedia and Turner announced today the finalists for the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Sunday, April 3 at the historic Forum in Los Angeles. The event will be televised live on TBS, TNT and truTV at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will be simulcast on iHeartMedia stations nationwide, as well as on the iHeartRadio digital music platform.

For the third straight year, the iHeartRadio Music Awards will celebrate the amazing music that was heard throughout the year across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on iHeartRadio. The 2016 telecast will feature today’s biggest artists and songs with live performances including first released performers Justin Bieber and Meghan Trainor, first-time duets and collaborations, celebrity guest appearances, live award presentations, and an exclusive can’t-miss performance by a soon-to-be-named artist 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 the night between the NCAA Final Four National Semifinals and the NCAA National Championship on TBS.

Tom Poleman

This year, the iHeartRadio Music Awards will feature 31 categories, including new awards for "Best Tour," "Best Duo/Group of the Year" and "Latin Song of the Year," as well as individual awards for "Artist of the Year" in music’s biggest genres. Taylor Swift leads nominees with eight nominations and will vie for the first “Female Artist of the Year” award, while The Weeknd received seven nominations, including in the inaugural “Male Artist of the Year” category. Swift and the Weeknd will go head-to-head in the coveted “Song of the Year” and first-ever “Album of the Year” categories. Other artists who have received multiple nominations include Adele, Drake, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Luke Bryan and Sam Smith. All nominations are listed below.

“Because the iHeartRadio Music Awards are a celebration of all things music, it’s extremely fitting that we expand the categories this year to recognize even more of today’s biggest artists across every genre,” said Tom Poleman, President of iHeartMedia’s National Programming Group. “It’s going to be an unforgettable night and a true representation of the country’s favorite artists and music.”

In addition to being a compelling celebration of music and artists, the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Awards will celebrate the fans, giving them once-in-lifetime access to their favorite artists and an up-close-and-personal view of the event like never before. 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," and "Most Meme-Able Moment" awards. Voting will begin through iHeartMedia’s social media partner Telescope on February 9 and 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.

“Our Awards are not chosen by a mysterious panel of judges,” said John Sykes, President of iHeartMedia’s Entertainment Enterprises. “They are a true reflection of the artists and songs our listeners supported all year long."

For the first time ever, tickets to the iHeartRadio Music Awards are going on-sale to the general public. As a signature sponsor of the Awards Show, Capital One cardholders will have the opportunity to purchase them first. The exclusive Capital One Cardholder Pre-sale starts February 10 at 10 a.m. PST and runs through February 12 at 10 a.m. PST, or until tickets sell out. Capital One cardholders can visit www.iheartradio.com/capitalone for the opportunity to purchase tickets using their Capital One card. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting February 13 at 10 a.m. PST, and will be available at iheartradio.com/awardstickets.

“The iHeartRadio Music Awards is one of the year’s most energizing nights in music. Now that tickets are available to the public, this year’s awards will be even more exciting with fans getting the opportunity to experience the event live,” said Marc Mentry, Chief Brand Officer, Capital One. “We’re thrilled to offer our customers early access to tickets through the exclusive Capital One Cardholder Pre-sale.”

The 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards was the No. 1 rated show on the broadcast networks among adults 18-49 and captured the attention of Twitter users worldwide, securing the No. 7 spot on Twitter's Top Music Trending List of 2015 with #iHeartAwards. The event generated more than 14 billion social media impressions throughout the promotional period of the show, nearly 75 percent more than the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Award’s 8.5 billion and almost triple that of the Academy Awards. The iHeartRadio Music Awards was also one of the first ever to engage fans through live behind-the-scenes Twitter Periscope broadcasts. Among last year’s winners were Sam Smith for Best New Artist, Jason Aldean’s “Burnin’ It Down” for Country Song of the Year and Taylor Swift, last year’s top vote-getter, with awards for Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Lyrics.

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
- "Planes" - 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 Mestiste" - 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: *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

Additional categories include the iHeartRadio most thumbed up artist and song of the year in 2015.

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.

For breaking news and exclusive iHeartRadio Music Awards content visit iHeartRadio.com/awards or follow the social buzz on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google+.