Airdate: 2015 Billboard Music Awards

The 2015 Billboard Music Awards  will air Live on Channel [V] later this month, hosted by supermodel Chrissy Teigen and Ludacris.

“If my extensive collection of all 53 ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ compilations is any indication, I am both qualified and honoured to join Ludacris in hosting this amazing show that spotlights the best music and artists of the year,” said Teigen.

“I had so much fun hosting the Billboard Music Awards last year and I can’t wait to be back!” said Ludacris.

Broadcasting Live direct from Las Vegas, the Billboard Music Awards celebrate the most successful artists in America over the past 12 months. Music heavyweights from all genres will descend on the MGM Grand Garden Arena to see which of the nominated artists walk away with the sought after Awards.

The three-hour long special event will feature appearances and performances from some of the world’s biggest superstars, as the top artists are recognised in a variety of genres, including R&B, Rap, Pop, Country, Rock, Latin and Alternative. This year’s show will showcase big performances, unexpected collaborations and pop culture moments that will have everyone talking.

Performers confirmed to play at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards include Iggy Azalea, Fall Out Boy featuring Wiz Khalifa, Kelly Clarkson, Hozier, Nick Jonas, John Legend, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Britney Spears, and Meghan Trainor, but that’s not all – there are plenty more to be added to the line-up in the coming weeks.

Finalists for the 2015 Billboard Music Awards honouring the year’s most successful artists in 41 categories include Iggy Azalea, Ariana Grande, John Legend, Sam Smith, Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor and Pharrell Williams.

Taylor Swift is top among all finalists with 14 entries in 13 categories, while Sam Smith is a finalist in an equal 13 categories with 13 entries. The two go head-to-head for eight of the show’s biggest awards including Top Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist and Top Digital Songs Artist. Swift is a two-time finalist for Top Streaming Song (Video) for her Billboard chart toppers “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space.”

Iggy Azalea is a finalist in 11 categories with 12 entries, competing against herself for Top Rap Song for her hits “Fancy” featuring Charli XCX and “Black Widow” featuring Rita Ora. Newcomer Meghan Trainor is the artist with the fourth-most finalist categories, competing against Azalea for the title of Top New Artist, in addition to eight other categories.

Billboard Music Awards finalists are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital songs sales, radio airplay, streaming, touring and social interactions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify and other popular online destinations for music. These measurements are tracked year-round by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. The awards are based on the reporting period of March 10, 2014 through March 8, 2015. Since 1940, the Billboard charts have been the go-to guide for ranking the popularity of songs and albums, and are the ultimate measure of a musician’s success. The 2015 Billboard Music Awards is produced by dick clark productions. Allen Shapiro, Mike Mahan, Mark Bracco, Barry Adelman and Robert Deaton are Executive Producers.

10am on Monday May 18, repeated at 4pm and 7pm on Channel [V].