iHeartRadio Awards list drops!

The iHeart pop awards is back! honestly kinda fun award show because of the familiarity of all the genres because it is radio, and top moments too.Also random questions, are albums not really a thing for awards?

Low key its great they praise the producers, writers, photographers, and other behind of the scenes staff in this award show, adding tour stuff to award shows its great to be noticed putting on great shows for all the fans.

Last year had a mix of tributes and award winners perform, I think like Alex warren or Sombr, for some pop new music this year, MUTT live maybe and, bigxthaplug and guests maybe. For country I could see like a Luke combs or Wallen. Then Sabrina for like artist of year or like gaga?

Karol g tfor maybe latin pop headlining coachella and all thennn I don't know who will win the landmark award thing like Nelly last year...and there's no album of the year as well.

 

2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards Nominees

Song of the Year: 

 “Anxiety” – Doechii
“Good News” – Shaboozey
“Love Somebody” – Morgan Wallen
“luther” – Kendrick Lamar and SZA
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“MUTT” – Leon Thomas
“Ordinary” – Alex Warren
“Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else” – Benson Boone
“Stargazing” – Myles Smith
“The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift

Artist of the Year:

Bad Bunny
Benson Boone
Chris Brown
Jelly Roll
Kendrick Lamar
Lady Gaga
Morgan Wallen
Sabrina Carpenter
Tate McRae
Taylor Swift

***honestly probably ordinary because it was all over the radio and Alex had been touring as well as on the festival route as well. Luther, MUTT, and Sorry I'm here... 

all were in the radios top songs for iHeart I think but Ordinary just seems more universal. and Sabrina just makes sense, or Kendrick because he was everywhere in the beginning of the year, but both are huge from the halftime show to coachella headliner coming up....

Pop Artist of the Year:

Alex Warren
Benson Boone
Sabrina Carpenter
Tate McRae
Taylor Swift

Pop Song of the Year:

“Golden” – HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Ordinary” – Alex Warren
“Pink Pony Club” – Chappell Roan
“The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift

Best New Artist (Pop):

Alex Warren
Jessie Murph
Myles Smith
Ravyn Lenae
sombr

***has to be Sabrina because other than this I would say gaga but she's not there, Pink Pony club could also be pop song of the year, played a lot but she never toured excepted some one off festival dates and shows. 

Best new artist in my mind has to be Alex Warren because he is the biggest tour wise out of all the, doing an arena tour next year, but maybe for up and coming maybe Myles for his singer songwriter vibe , or Sombr I feel like he is everywhere son socials at least. 

Duo/Group of the Year:

HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
Linkin Park
Maroon 5
Shinedown
Twenty One Pilots

Best Collaboration:

“All The Way” – BigXthaPlug ft. Bailey Zimmerman
“APT.” – ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
“luther” – Kendrick Lamar and SZA
“Timeless” – The Weeknd ft. Playboi Carti
“WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME” – GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red

***has to be APT because it is the biggest song of the year, or Luther, either but to be honest, Timeless when it was on the Grammys was a show, great production nearly made me want to go to their tour, lots a great songs, 

Duo of the year, either kpop or the Linkin Park, because of longevity, 

Country Song of the Year:

“After All The Bars Are Closed” – Thomas Rhett
“Good News” – Shaboozey
“Liar” – Jelly Roll
“Love Somebody” – Morgan Wallen
“Whiskey Drink” – Jason Aldean

Country Artist of the Year:

Jason Aldean

Jelly Roll
Lainey Wilson
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen

Best New Artist (Country):

Chase Matthew
Ella Langley
Hudson Westbrook
Josh Ross
Zach Top

***liar and love somebody seems to be the top streamed songs here but wallen has a great sounding song, but jelly seems to have the better character and

Wallen has to win this I feel, have not heard great stuff about him but who knows, or jelly and laden seem to both have popular songs as well. No clue on new artist but Ella sounds familiar so her?

Hip-Hop Song of the Year:

“luther” – Kendrick Lamar and SZA
“NOKIA” – Drake
“Outside” – Cardi B
“The Largest” – BigXthaPlug
“WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME” – GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red

Hip-Hop Artist of the Year:

Cardi B
GloRilla
Kendrick Lamar
Playboi Carti
Tyler, The Creator

Best New Artist (Hip-Hop):

MOLIY
PLUTO
Real Boston Richey
YKNIECE
ZEDDY WILL

R&B Song of the Year:

“Burning Blue” – Mariah the Scientist
“Folded” – Kehlani
“MUTT” – Leon Thomas
“Residuals” – Chris Brown
“SOMEBODY LOVES ME” – PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake

R&B Artist of the Year:

Chris Brown
Kehlani
Leon Thomas
Mariah the Scientist
SZA

Best New Artist (R&B):

Jenevieve
Kwn
Leon Thomas
Mariah the Scientist
Sailorr

World Artist of the Year:

Ayra Starr
Jackson Wang
JO1
MOLIY
Tyla

Alternative Song of the Year:

“Back To Friends” – sombr
“Ensenada” – Sublime
“One Eyed Bastard” – Green Day
“Stargazing” – Myles Smith
“The Contract” – Twenty One Pilots

Alternative Artist of the Year:

Cage the Elephant
Green Day
Linkin Park
Sublime
Twenty One Pilots

Best New Artist (Alternative):
· almost monday
· Gigi Perez
· Lola Young
· Role Model
· sombr

***Green Day has to be song on the year but maybe that's the nostalgia in me and they were great at coachella, On the radio Myles was everywhere and Sombr I think so either of them?

And for artist of the year, Linkin park probably because of their tour but love Green Day and the pilots...Role Model seems to be the biggest out of all these but maybe sombr is best new artist, since he's up and coming. 

Rock Song of the Year:

“Afterlife” – Evanescence
“Bad Guy” – Falling In Reverse ft. Saraya
“Dance, Kid, Dance” – Shinedown
“Even If It Kills Me” – Papa Roach
“Heavy Is the Crown” – Linkin Park

Rock Artist of the Year:

Linkin Park
Papa Roach
Shinedown
Sleep Token
Three Days Grace

Best New Artist (Rock):

Architects
Poppy
Return to Dust
Sleep Theory
Spiritbox

***so for rock it feels like papa roach was everywhere and they are great guys so happy for them if they get this, other than that, linkin park maybe because this has been their come back tour with their new singer, 

So...either of them for artist of the year, and I want best new artists to be Sleep theory because their sound is so familiar and I can't pin point it but great tone. But Spiritbox and poppy have been everywhere so  probably them?

Dance Song of the Year:

“Blessings” – Calvin Harris feat. Clementine Douglas
“In My Arms” – ILLENIUM & HAYLA
“No Broke Boys” – Disco Lines & Tinashe
“Save My Love” – Marshmello, Ellie Goulding and AVAION
“Won't Be Possible” – Tiësto, Odd Mob & Goodboys

Dance Artist of the Year:

Calvin Harris
David Guetta
John Summit
Martin Garrix
Tiësto

***No Broke Boys just makes sense, but also John Summit has had a year so probably him for artist, although everyone else has crazy established so any of them could make a case. 

Latin Pop/Urban Song of the Year:

“Angel” – Grupo Frontera & Romeo Santos
“DEGENERE” – Myke Towers & benny blanco
“DtMF” – Bad Bunny
“Qué Pasaría…” – Rauw Alejandro and Bad Bunny
“Soltera” – Shakira

Latin Pop/Urban Artist of the Year:

Bad Bunny
Feid
J Balvin
Karol G
Shakira

Best New Artist (Latin Pop/Urban):

Alleh
Beéle
De La Rose
Dei V
Louis BPM

Regional Mexican Song of the Year:

“Amor Bonito” – Luis Angel “El Flaco”
“El Amor De Mi Vida” – Calibre 50
“Flores” – Xavi
“Hecha Pa' Mi” – Grupo Frontera
“Lejos Estamos Mejor” – Eden Muñoz

Regional Mexican Artist of the Year:

Alejandro Fernández
Carín León
Fuerza Regida
Grupo Frontera
Luis Angel “El Flaco”

Best New Artist (Regional Mexican):

Clave Especial
Edgardo Nuñez
Los Dos De Tamaulipas
Óscar Maydon
Oscar Ortiz

K-pop Artist of the Year:

JENNIE
j-hope
Jin
LISA
ROSÉ

K-pop Group of the Year:

ATEEZ
BLACKPINK
ENHYPEN
Stray Kids
TWICE

K-pop Song of the Year:

“APT.” – ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
“Golden” – HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
“JUMP” – BLACKPINK
“Killin' It Girl” – j-hope feat. GloRilla
“like JENNIE” – JENNIE

Best New Artist (K-pop):

82Major
AllDay Project
Cortis
Hearts2Hearts
Meovv

***ROSÉ was everywhere this year because of APT not just kpop but general radio hit, so she's seems bet, for best group Blackpink for sure where next year has to be BTS because I think they're touring 

APT for song of the year for sure, if talking about all year, but right now maybe Golden has been on a streak, Cortis seems to be new artists because I just recognize the name. 

Songwriter of the Year:

Amy Allen
Ashley Gorley
Cal Shapiro
Charlie Handsome
Julia Michaels

Producer of the Year:

Andrew Watt
Dijon
Jack Antonoff
Max Martin & Shellback
Sounwave

Favorite Broadway Debut: *Socially Voted Category 

Ashley Graham, “Chicago”
Cheryl Porter, “& Juliet”
Durrell “Tank” Babbs, “Hell's Kitchen”
Gabrielle Nevaeh Green, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
Jack Wolfe, “Hadestown”
Kelsie Watts, “Six! The Musical”
Lencia Kebede, “Wicked”
Lizzy McAlpine, “Floyd Collins”
Meg Donnelly, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Ne-Yo, “Hell's Kitchen”
Tom Felton, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
Trisha Paytas, “Beetlejuice”

***Tom Felton or Trish low key could win, not even lying she has a huge fanbase and Felton was so nostalgic because he in the Harry Potter universe again. 

Favorite TikTok Dance: *Socially Voted Category 

“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga
“Gnarly” – KATSEYE
“GO!” – CORTIS
“Happen To Me” – Russell Dickerson
“JUMP” – BLACKPINK
“like JENNIE” – JENNIE
“Midnight Sun” – Zara Larsson
“MONA LISA” – j-hope
“Revolving Door” – Tate McRae
“SPAGHETTI” – LE SSERAFIM, j-hope
“The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift

@besperon Tried my best 🤭 @tate mcrae #revolvingdoor ♬ original sound - user5677689768

truly what trends have made it outside of TikTok have been tate, gaga and like Jennie sound, oh and Taylor yess dance and more trending. 

Tate is my choice for choreo, Jennie probably for passion with kpop fans, and maybe Taylor or gaga win because of the fanbase, they have longevity. 

Favorite Debut Album: *Socially Voted Category 

Addison Rae, “Addison”
Alex Warren, “You'll Be Alright, Kid”
Audrey Hobert, “Who's the Clown?”
Calum Hood, “ORDER chaos ORDER”
Coco Jones, “Why Not More?”
JADE, “THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY!”
JENNIE, “Ruby”
LISA, “Alter Ego”
Michael Clifford, “SIDEQUEST”
Perrie, “Perrie”
sombr, “I Barely Know Her”
Tucker Wetmore, “What Not To”

Best Lyrics: *Socially Voted Category 

“Anxiety” – Doechii
“BAILE INoLVIDABLE” – Bad Bunny
“Camera” – Ed Sheeran
“Choosin' Texas” – Ella Langley
“DAISIES” – Justin Bieber
“Golden” – HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
“Man I Need” – Olivia Dean
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Ordinary” – Alex Warren
“The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift
“undressed” – sombr
“WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” – RAYE

Best Music Video: *Socially Voted Category 

“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga
“BAILE INoLVIDABLE” – Bad Bunny
“BORN AGAIN” – LISA feat. Doja Cat & RAYE
“Gabriela” – KATSEYE
“like JENNIE” – JENNIE
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Ordinary” – Alex Warren
“Sapphire” – Ed Sheeran
“Shake It to the Max (FLY) (Remix)” – MOLIY, Shenseea, Skillibeng, Silent Addy
“The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift
“toxic till the end” – ROSÉ

 

***my choice for cutest music video, fun storyline, most viewed mv were black pink and Bad Bunny, both look big for different reasons, more culturally and more production value and tech maybe? 

I can see Taylor or Taylor winning by fanbase alone tho, both multi album fanbases

 Favorite On Screen: *Socially Voted Category 

AJ McLean, Nicole Scherzinger, Liam Payne, Kelly Rowland, “Building the Band”
Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked: For Good”
Bad Bunny, “Happy Gilmore 2”
Becky G, “REBBECA”
Ed Sheeran, “ONE SHOT with Ed Sheeran: A Musical Experience”
Jimin and Jungkook, “Are You Sure?!”
Jonas Brothers, “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie”
Karol G, “Karol G: Tomorrow Was Beautiful”
Lady Gaga, “Wednesday”
LISA, “The White Lotus”
Taylor Swift, “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The End of an Era”
Zara Larsson, “Up Close”

Favorite Tour Photographer: *Socially Voted Category 

Abby Waisler for Gracie Abrams
Adam DeGross for Post Malone
Anna Lee for Coldplay
baeth for Tate McRae
Chris Cornejo for Shakira
Cynthia Parkhurst for Katy Perry
Henry Hwu for Billie Eilish
Hyghly for The Weeknd
Joshua Halling for Oasis
Rahul Bhatt for KATSEYE
Thomas Falcone for Shawn Mendes
Tom Pallant for YUNGBLUD

Favorite Soundtrack: *Socially Voted Category 

“A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (Original Soundtrack)”
“F1 the Album”
“Frankenstein (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film)”
“KPop Demon Hunters”
“Nobody Wants This Season 2: The Soundtrack”
“Sinners (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)”
“Smurfs Movie Soundtrack (Music From & Inspired By)”
“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere”
“Tron: Ares (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)”
“Wicked: For Good – The Soundtrack”
“Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires (Original Soundtrack)”

 

 ***feel like this has to win maybe? kpop fans are so dedicated but also the Wicked movies have been crazy over the years. F1 did have a a great soundtrack though, like a great playlist....

Favorite Tour Style: *Socially Voted Category 

Bad Bunny, “DeBí TiRaR MáS FOtoS World Tour”
Beyoncé, “Cowboy Carter Tour”
Billie Eilish, “Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour”
BLACKPINK, “Deadline World Tour”
Dua Lipa, “Radical Optimism Tour”
Ella Langley, “Still Hungover Tour”
KATSEYE, “Beautiful Chaos Tour”
Lady Gaga, “The Mayhem Ball”
Sabrina Carpenter, “Short n' Sweet Tour”
Tate McRae, “Miss Possessive Tour”
Taylor Swift, “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour”
Zara Larsson, “Midnight Sun Tour”

***Beyonce had that clear silver metallic vibe, Billie everyone is so billie coded there, Gagas show also was a great people watching show, Sabrina as well, such cute outfits, and duh Taylor I feel like takes the cake, with so many eras of style per album. Taylor or Gaga maybe? or Beyonce cuz it was so cohesive 

Favorite Tour Tradition: *Socially Voted Category 

Benson Boone, Cover song
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy & Rumi on stage
Billie Eilish, “when the party’s over” silent loop
Coldplay, Crowd cam
Dua Lipa, Surprise guest
Jonas Brothers, Surprise guest
KATSEYE, “Gnarly” dance break
Lainey Wilson, Cowgirl of the night
ROLE MODEL, Sally
Sabrina Carpenter, Celebrity “Juno” arrest
Tate McRae, Fan cam on stage
Zara Larsson, “Lush Life” star

***out of all the viral moments it feels like I used to see more of the Jonas Brothers guests with their 90s/early bands/artits. They have had every one hit wonder ever on their tour. 

Besides that, Sally was a moment, Sabrinas arrest was a moment for sure as well, maybe either 3 of them?

Favorite K-pop Collab: *Socially Voted Category 

“Blink” – Corbyn Besson & TZUYU of TWICE
“BORN AGAIN” – LISA feat. Doja Cat & RAYE
“BUCK” – Jackson Wang feat. Diljit Dosanjh
“Confessions” – Flo Rida, HEESEUNG & JAKE of ENHYPEN, Paul Russell
“Dirty Work” – aespa feat. Flo Milli
“ExtraL” – JENNIE, Doechii
“EYES CLOSED” – JISOO X ZAYN
“Illegal + SEVENTEEN” – PinkPantheress, SEVENTEEN
“On My Mind” – Alex Warren & ROSÉ
“Sweet Dreams (feat. Miguel)” – j-hope, Miguel
“TOO BAD” – G-DRAGON feat. Anderson .Paak
“WE PRAY (TWICE Version)” – Coldplay, TWICE, Burna Boy, Elyanna, TINI, Little Simz