Drake named top artiste, sets Billboard record wins
Drake was named top artiste during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards on Wednesday night, setting a Billboard record for most wins ever.
With his 12 wins, Drake now holds the record for most wins in BBMA history, with a total of 27. Other winners included Ariana Grande, BTS and Imagine Dragons.
Kelly Clarkson returned as host and performed during the show.
Jennifer Hudson introduced Mariah Carey, who first wished her twins in the audience a happy birthday.
“Thank you Billboard for letting me grow up on the charts with you and for this incredible honour,” Carey said. “Icon? I really don’t think of myself in that way. I started making music out of a necessity to survive and to express myself. And I just wanted to create something so I could feel worthy of existing.”
She continued, cracking a joke about the “drama” she’s dealt with throughout her career, even making “a few memes” along the way.
“I guess I’ve always felt like an outsider, someone who doesn’t quite belong anywhere. And I still feel like that lost interracial child who had a lot of nerve to believe I could succeed at anything at all in this world,” Carey said.
“But, and this is the truth, I did believe. Because I had to. The truth is, I’ve dedicated my life to my music, my saving grace; and to my fans, who are unlike any entity I’ve ever known. They’ve lifted me out of the depths of hell and brought me back with their devotion and love.”
Taylor Swift opened the ceremony with the worldwide premiere performance of her new song “ME!,” featuring Brendon Urie from Panic! at the Disco. Mariah Carey received the Icon Award and also performed a medley of her greatest hits.
Other performers included Grande, who sang “7 Rings”;
Madonna and Maluma, who performed “Medellín”; Paula Abdul, with a medley of her greatest hits; BTS and Halsey, with “Boy With Luv”; and the Jonas Brothers, who performed “Sucker.”
In addition, Halsey took the stage for a solo performance of “Without Me,” Ciara debuted her new single “Thinkin Bout You” for the first time on television, and country singers Dan + Shay performed with Tori Kelly. Lauren Daigle and Khalid also performed.
Cardi B was the most-nominated artiste for the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, receiving a total of 21 nominations in categories such as top artiste, top female artiste, top rap artiste and top rap album to name a few. Drake and Post Malone had the second-highest number of nominations, with each artiste gaining 17.
The Billboard Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions — a division of Valence Media, the parent company of the Billboard Hollywood Reporter Media Group.