If the Grammys are out of touch, the iHeartRadio awards are almost too in touch, celebrating the most popular of popular music and rejecting stuff that’s unnecessarily hip or cool. It’s a show, in other words, that can award Maroon 5 with Best Duo/Group Of The Year in 2018 even though Migos was also nominated. Of course, popular music that people actually like—as opposed to the cool music that people like to like—deserves to be celebrated, and as always, the iHeartRadio Music Awards fulfilled its duty tonight by handing out trophies to Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and The Chainsmokers.
Swift and Sheeran won Female Artist Of The Year and Male Artist Of The Year, two awards that were basically made for people like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, with Cardi B winning Best New Artist, and once-inescapable hit “Despacito” missing out on Song Of The Year (though it did pick up Latin Song Of The Year). Just in case this all seems a bit too youth-focused for some older music fans, though, a few of the rock categories were locked up by comparatively elderly bands like Metallica (winner of Rock Artist Of The Year) and the Foo Fighters (Rock Song Of The Year for “Run”).
A selected group of winners is listed below, and the full list is over at Variety.
Song Of The Year
“Despacito” – Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
“Shape Of You” – Ed Sheeran
“Something Just Like This” – The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
“That’s What I Like” – Bruno Mars
“Wild Thoughts” – DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller
Female Artist Of The Year
Alessia Cara
Halsey
P!NK
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
Male Artist Of The Year
Bruno Mars
Charlie Puth
Ed Sheeran
Shawn Mendes
The Weeknd
Best New Artist
Cardi B
Niall Horan
Luke Combs
Christian Nodal
Judah & the Lion
Ozuna
Khalid
Best Duo/Group Of The Year
Imagine Dragons
Maroon 5
Migos
Portugal. The Man
The Chainsmokers
Best Collaboration
“Despacito” – Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
“Don’t Wanna Know” – Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar
“Something Just Like This” – The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
“Stay” – Zedd and Alessia Cara
“Wild Thoughts” – DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller
Best New Pop Artist
Camila Cabello
Julia Michaels
Liam Payne
Logic
Niall Horan
Hip-Hop Artist Of The Year
DJ Khaled
Drake
Future
Kendrick Lamar
Migos