LOS ANGELES, CA — Fresh off the heels of the Billboard Music Awards, the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards continued recognizing music’s biggest stars and packed the Dolby Theater with an audience full of vibrant fans on Thursday, May 27.
The Weeknd, who took home some of the night’s biggest awards including “Song of the Year” and “Male Artist of the Year,” kicked off the show with powerhouse singer Ariana Grande as the two sang “Save Your Tears.”
The show, which was hosted by Usher, saw many unbelievable performances from artists like Dan + Shay, Twenty One Pilots, Doja Cat, and the soulful duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson. Paak got the crowd on its feet and electrified the stage as they performed their 70’s inspired hit “Leave the Door Open.”
Elton John, whose legendary career spans nearly six decades, received iHeartRadio’s “Icon Award” and was honored with an all-star tribute from H.E.R, Brandi Carlisle and Demi Lovato who sang some of his most iconic hits.
“Being played on the radio for the first time, you hear yourself and you’re so excited. What this award means is that I still cover new artists,” John said during his acceptance speech. “That’s what my life’s about now. And when I do my shows, I try and promote young artists because they need exposure, they need the radio. I’ve had my time, as they say. I’m still glad people play my records, and I love that.”
Artist Roddy Ricch won three awards including “Hip-Hop Song of the Year,” “Hip-Hop Artist of the Year,” and “Best New Hip-Hop Artist.”
His 2019 album “Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial,” spawned hits like “The Box” and “High Fashion.” He found further success after featuring on DaBaby’s chart-topping hit “Rockstar.”
Megan Thee Stallion, who earned her first three Grammys back in March, nabbed the award for “Best Collaboration” for her song “Savage” (Remix) featuring Beyonce.
Dua Lipa, the pop artist who found immense success with her album 2020 album “Future Nostalgia,” also won the award for “Female Artist of the Year.”
“Thank you so, so, so much. I want to thank my fans, because without you I wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t be doing what I love so much, so thank you for listening to the music,” Dua said. “Thank you for listening to ‘Future Nostalgia,’ this album means the absolute world to me, so I’m very, very grateful.”
R&B artist H.E.R, who recently won the Oscar for “Best Original Song,” took home the iHeartRadio award for “R&B Artist of the Year,” while Doja Cat won the award for “Best New Artist.”
Joined by producer Lil Jon, Usher briefly set his hosting duties aside to close out the night and transport viewers back to the early 2000’s with a medley performance of some of his classic hits including “Love in This Club,” “U Don’t Have To Call,” “DJ Got Us Falling In Love Again,” “Scream,” and “Yeah.”
