dick clark productions and NBC today announced the first round of performers for the “2018 Billboard Music Awards.” Top New Artist nominee, Camila Cabello, UK’s hottest act, Dua Lipa, and multi-platinum selling singer/songwriter, Shawn Mendes, will all take the stage on a night filled with music’s biggest names.
Hosted by “The Voice” coach Kelly Clarkson, the “2018 Billboard Music Awards” will broadcast LIVE from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 20 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on NBC. The three-hour telecast will feature performances from this year’s hottest musical acts, unexpected collaborations and buzzworthy moments that celebrate 60 years of the Billboard Hot 100!
Talent fun facts include:
Camila Cabello is a four-time Billboard Music Award nominee this year with nods for Top New Artist, Top Female Artist, Top Collaboration for “Havana” featuring Young Thug and the fan-voted Billboard Chart Achievement Award. She started off her solo career with a bang, scoring a top 10 hit in 2016 on the Pop Songs chart with “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” her duet with Shawn Mendes. She followed it up with three more top 40 hits on the list, including the No. 1 “Bad Things” with Machine Gun Kelly. In 2017-18, she logged her biggest hit yet, as the single “Havana,” featuring Young Thug, spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Pop Songs chart and became her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track ushered in her debut album, Camila, which opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and made her the first woman in three years to hit No. 1 with her debut full-length album.
The “2018 Billboard Music Awards” appearance will mark Dua Lipa’s first performance on an award show in the United States. The U.K. pop superstar has quickly ascended on the U.S. Billboard charts this last year, currently with her empowering anthem “IDGAF” rising on Billboard’s Top 40 chart following a trio of No. 1 hits on the Dance Club Songs chart: “Blow Your Mind (Mwah),” “Be the One” and “New Rules.” The latter track became a smash single for the pop singer-songwriter across multiple charts and radio formats as it sailed to No. 1 on the Pop Songs chart and No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 2018. “New Rules,” taken from her self-titled debut studio album, has gone on to earn more than 430 million on-demand streams in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. Additionally, the video for the track has amassed 1.1 billion views on YouTube, making Dua the first female solo artist to reach 1 billion views on the platform.
At just 19-years-old, singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes has captured two No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, seven top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and two No. 1s on the Pop Songs chart. He blasted onto Billboard’s charts in 2015 with his debut hit “Life of the Party,” and has continued to rack up smash singles. His most recent hit, “In My Blood,” has already hit the top 40 on the Hot 100 and top five on the Digital Song Sales chart. In total, Mendes’ albums have earned over 3 million equivalent album units in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music, and his catalog of songs have generated nearly 3 billion on-demand streams. This year, Mendes is nominated for the fan-voted Top Social Artist Award.
Cuban-born singer/songwriter Camila Cabello (Epic Records / SYCO) released her debut solo album, CAMILA, in January 2018 to rave reviews. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart the same week that her single “Havana” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The RIAA platinum-certified album, CAMILA, launched its debut at No. 1 on over 100 iTunes charts around the world, breaking the record for most No. 1 positions for a debut album in iTunes history. Beginning her official solo career after four years in Fifth Harmony, Cabello released her RIAA 5x-platinum smash hit “Havana,” in August 2017, which later obtained the No. 1 spot on the Billboard’s Pop Songs chart, marking her second No. 1 as a solo artist. Furthermore, “Havana” hit No. 1 on the iTunes overall top songs chart, No. 2 on the Spotify Global chart and hit No. 1 in 80 countries around the world. “Havana” is the first song by a female artist to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary, Pop Songs and Rhythmic Songs charts in 22 years, has earned 736 million on-demand U.S. streams, according to Nielsen Music, and attained the longest run at No. 1 on Pop Songs for any song by a female artist since 2013. Her next single, “Never Be The Same,” was released in January 2018 and is currently No. 2 on Pop Songs and inside the top 15 of the Billboard Hot 100. Cabello had already earned a chart-topping smash with the recent double platinum-certified hit “Bad Things” with Machine Gun Kelly. The track generated over 350 million on-demand streams and a result of its success, she became the fifth female artist to hit #1 on the Pop Songs chart with and without a group.
With the release of her self-titled debut album, London-born, Kosovo-raised Dua Lipa has won over the hearts of fans and press alike. The songs on Dua Lipa announce the arrival of a new force in pop—irresistible on the dance floor, thoughtful under closer inspection, constantly discovering creative possibilities. Her critically acclaimed debut has made several “best of” lists, from The FADER, Rolling Stone and TIME. Her powerful anthem “New Rules” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Songs chart and No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and its viral video made her the youngest female solo artist to reach 1 billion views on YouTube. Dua continues to find herself on the top of the charts, consistently being one of the top-streamed female artists in the world on Spotify and reaching No. 1 on the Top 40 chart. Most recently, Dua made BRIT Award history, becoming the first woman artist to pick up five nominations, taking home the awards for British Breakthrough Act and British Female Solo Artist.
Shawn Mendes recently released new tracks “In My Blood” and “Lost In Japan” from his highly-anticipated third album. Both tracks have already experienced massive success, soaring to Nos. 22 and 64, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 and No. 2 on the overall iTunes chart in the U.S, Top 5 on iTunes in 50 countries, and holding the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on Spotify’s “New Music Friday” playlist. The tracks have received critical acclaim from outlets including Rolling Stone, Billboard, Idolator, Variety and Paste, with “In My Blood” topping TIME magazine’s “5 Songs You Need to Listen to This Week” and The New York Times’ “The Playlist.” “In My Blood” and “Lost In Japan” are the first new songs released by Shawn since his 3x Platinum hit “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” in April 2017. The track scored Shawn his second No. 1 single on Billboard’s Pop Songs chart, joining 6x Platinum single “Stitches.” With “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back,” Shawn also became the first artist to ever have three No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart before the age of 20. Throughout his career, Shawn has achieved two No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 with Handwritten (2015) and Illuminate (2016), two Platinum albums, and seven consecutive Platinum and multi-Platinum singles. Worldwide, he has sold over 10 million albums, 100 million singles, and has amassed over 11 billion song streams and 4 billion YouTube views. Shawn has completed two sold-out world tours with over one million tickets sold, selling out legendary arenas including NYC’s Madison Square Garden, Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, and London’s O2 Arena in minutes. He topped Billboard’s “21 Under 21” in 2017 and has been featured on Forbes “30 Under 30,” Spotify’s “25 Under 25,” and Time Magazine’s “Most Influential Teens” for 4 consecutive years. In February 2018, ROI Influencer Media recognized Shawn as the #1 Most Influential Artist and #1 Most Influential Teen across all social media platforms.
Nominations for the “2018 Billboard Music Awards” were announced earlier this month on NBC’s “TODAY Show” and on a livestream from Billboard’s NY office. Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran tie for the most nominations this year with 15 each.
Voting for the two fan voted categories, Billboard Chart Achievement Award and Top Social Artist, will open in the coming weeks and additional details will be available soon.
“Billboard Music Awards” nominees are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay, touring and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. The finalists and award winners are determined using data reflecting a 12-month tracking period. The awards are based on the reporting period of April 8, 2017 through March 31, 2018. Since 1940, the Billboard charts have been the go-to guide for ranking the popularity of artists, songs and albums, and are the ultimate measure of success in music.
