Kelly Clarkson returned as host of the Billboard Music Awards this year. The talent in this year’s lineup was top notch!
I appreciated the BBMAs for balancing a lot of entertaining acts with actual awards being revealed. We got to see a variety of genres on stage.
Kicking off the night was Taylor Swift and Brendon Urie with their new song, “ME!”
The same colorful vibes and whimsicality of the music video was evident on stage as Urie entered the MGM Grand stage Mary Poppins style!
Clarkson started the night as host by performing a medley of hit songs of the past year including “Meant To Be” by Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha as well as “High Hopes” by Panic! At The Disco just to name a few. It was truly a spectacle to witness. She’s truly a talented artist who deserves all the praise. I commend her ability in producing this moment!
Other notable performances of the night that I enjoyed were:
This medley consisted of Nick’s hit “Jealous,” DNCE’s hit “Cake By The Ocean,” and recent single from the Jonas Brothers, “Sucker.” Their wives in the audience had a blast and it was overall a fun set to watch.
Panic! At The Disco’s performance of “Hey Ma, Look I Made It” was another one that I enjoyed, as well as Kelly Clarkson’s uplifting anthem, “Broken & Beautiful” from her new animated movie, “Uglydolls,” and Lauren Daigle’s “You Say” were all highlights for me.
Timeless artists and legends also took to the stage, Madonna, Icon Award recipient Mariah Carey and Paula Abdul all sang respectively. Out of these 3, Paula’s was the most entertaining in my opinion despite all of the lip syncing, Mariah was the most throwback in terms of her medley set and Madonna gave everyone a taste of her new sound as she collaborated with Latin singer-songwriter, Maluma in her new single, Medellin. I wasn’t a big fan of the new song but I give her props for continuing to make new music.
Other notable moments of the night:
Imagine Dragons won Top Rock artist. Well deserved win! Panic! At The Disco won Top Rock song for “High Hopes.” Top female artist went to Ariana Grande who performed “7 Rings” in a T-Mobile sponsored performance. Top Duo/Group went to the ever so popular K-Pop boy band BTS whom also performed “Boy With Luv” with Halsey to thousands of their adoring fanbase, ARMY.
Halsey also performed solo in a very passionate way with her multi-Platinum selling single, “Without Me.” I thought this was a very progressive and emotional performance. Very P!nk-esque with the choreography and storytelling.
Rapper Cardi B also won big tonight for Top Female Rapper and for her collab with Maroon 5’s “Girl Like You” for Top Hot 100 song. She accepted the latter win in hilarious fashion and shared that she sings the chart topper to her daughter, Kulture.
Drake got the big prize of the night winning Top Artist. He dedicated his BBMA win to his mom for all she had done in his career. He won a total of 12 awards bringing his overall count of 27 career BBMAs! It has put him on top with the most wins of any artist according to Kelly Clarkson in her closing statement.
For the full list of BBMA winners, click here.
What was your favorite moment of the night? Let me know in the comments.
Philip's Music Corner 