The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas will be home to this year’s Billboard Music Awards, and the finalists have just been revealed! As it stands, Maroon 5, fun., and Taylor Swift are leading the pack in more than 10 categories, respectively. Swift is coming off of another blockbuster year in which her album “Red” notched the biggest debut sales week of any album in 2013, while Maroon 5 added more hits to its arsenal with songs like “Payphone,” “One More Night” and “Daylight.” fun., which scored its first No. 1 single with the anthem “We Are Young,” will appear in the Top Hot 100 Artist and Top Duo/Group categories, among others. Rihanna, Carly Rae Jepsen, and One Direction contend in several major categories as well. Also of note in 2013: the addition of EDM categories at the Billboard Music Awards, which reflects the overwhelming demand for electronic music. David Guetta, Skrillex, Swedish House Mafia and deadmau5 will compete for the Top EDM Album prize, while finalists for Top EDM Song include Baauer’s “Harlem Shake,” Calvin Harris’ “Feel So Close” and Swedish House Mafia’s “Don’t You Worry Child” (feat. John Martin), respectively.
Billboard Music Awards finalists were based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital singles sales, radio airplay, touring, streaming and social interactions on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, VEVO, Spotify and other popular online destinations for music. These measurements were tracked year-round by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Entertainment and Next Big Sound. Swift, Bieber, Bruno Mars and Miguel are all set to take the stage at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, which will be hosted by Tracy Morgan on May 19th. Billboard will also honor Prince with the coveted Billboard Icon Award, and the ingenuity of this year’s hitmakers will be celebrated with the new Milestone Award, presented by Chevrolet. Fans can vote for their favorite finalist (Bieber, Swift, or Mars) now at Billboard.com/milestone.
Notable top honors include:
TOP ARTIST
- Justin Bieber
- Maroon 5
- One Direction
- Rihanna
- Taylor Swift
TOP HOT 100 SONG
- Fun. (Some Nights)
- Gotye feat. Kimbra (Somebody That I Used To Know)
- Carly Rae Jepsen (Call Me Maybe)
- Maroon 5 (One More Night)
- Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa (Payphone)
TOP BILLBOARD 200 ALBUM
- Adele (21)
- Mumford & Sons (Babel)
- One Direction (Take Me Home)
- One Direction (Up All Night)
- Taylor Swift (Red)
TOP DUO/GROUP
- Coldplay
- fun.
- Maroon 5
- Mumford & Sons
- One Direction
TOP NEW ARTIST
- Gotye
- Carly Rae Jepsen
- The Lumineers
- One Direction
- PSY
TOP TOURING ARTIST
- Coldplay
- Lady Gaga
- Madonna
- Bruce Springsteen
- Roger Waters
TOP FEMALE ARTIST
- Adele
- Carly Rae Jepsen
- Nicki Minaj
- Rihanna
- Taylor Swift
TOP MALE ARTIST
- Jason Aldean
- Justin Bieber
- Drake
- Flo Rida
- Bruno Mars
You can check out the rest of the finalists here and tune into the BBMAs next month at 8/7c on ABC!
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