Set to make its NBC debut, the 2018 Billboard Music Awards will broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 20 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. P.T. It will air Monday, 8 a.m. here on Blue Ant Entertainment. And in line with the 60th anniversary celebration of the Billboard Hot 100, this year’s award show is expected to be hotter and more buzzworthy than ever. Here are some of the exciting things to look forward to:
1. Billboard Icon Award for Janet Jackson
This year, global superstar Janet Jackson is set to receive the much-coveted Icon Award and perform at the Billboard Music Awards–her first live TV performance in nine years. Throughout her career, Jackson has topped the Billboard charts countless of times, earning more than 100 No.1’s, spending more than 300 weeks at No.1. She was the first woman to debut in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, and the only artist ever to have had seven top five Hot 100 hits from one album: Rhythm Nation 1814.
2. Kelly Clarkson is hosting
The 2018 Billboard Music Awards will be headlined by award-winning artist and The Voice coach Kelly Clarkson–and it will be her first time doing so. Kelly Clarkson first debuted in the Billboard chart a little over 15 years ago and has since topped the chart with over two dozens of songs. 11 hit songs of hers have made it to the Top 10s, including three songs (“A Moment Like This,” “My Life Would Suck Without You,” and “Stronger”) that reached the No.1 spot. She also has 10 entries on the Billboard 200 albums chart, including three No.1s.
3. Live debut of “Fall in Line” by Christina Aguilera and Demi Lovato
When vocal powerhouses Demi Lovato and Christina Aguilera released the irresistibly good song that is “Fall in Line,” fans were already eager for a live performance, like how they did when collaboration rumors between the two artists started swirling early this year. The two will surely deliver as they debut “Fall in Line,” live at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday.
4. Live performances from Dua Lipa, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, and Khalid
Billboard chart toppers Dua Lipa, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, and Khalid are set to perform their top-hits at the award show. This will mark the first-ever performance of U.K pop superstar Dua Lipa on an award show in the United States. She is well-known for her widely popular songs, “New Rules,” “Blow Your Mind (Mwah),” and “IDGAF.” Cabello is a four-time Billboard Music Award nominee, and her hit single “Havana” featuring Young Thug was her first No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her debut album, Camila, even debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Meanwhile, Shawn Mendes has had two albums reach the No.1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. He also has had seven top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and two No. 1s on the Pop Songs chart. Shawn Mendes and Khalid will also be collaborating live on stage for the world TV premier of Mendes’ new single, “Youth,” as well as a live performance of “In My Blood.”
5. Performance by Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue
2018 marks the 30th anniversary of the renowned trio’s debut in the Top 20 on Billboard Hot 100—and they were the first female rappers to do so. The group release their first single, “My Mike Sounds Nice,” which went on to become a Billboard Chart Hit, and then released “Push It” later on.
6. Countless nominations for chart-topping artists
With the large number of nominations each of the artists have, there’s a good chance your fave will take home an award. Case in point, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars, and Ed Sheeran are leading the pack with 15 nominations each. Other top nominees include Post Malone with 13, Imagine Dragons with 11, Drake with nine, and Justin Bieber and Cardi B with eight.
The “2018 Billboard Music Awards” produced by dick clark productions will air LIVE, first and exclusive, on Blue Ant Entertainment. Allen Shapiro, Mike Mahan, Mark Bracco, Barry Adelman, and Robert Deaton are executive producers.
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