The 2022 Billboard Music Awards will be held on Sunday night, May 15. These awards honor the biggest commercial achievements in music in 62 categories as measured by the Billboard charts. So which chart-toppers will perform at the event? Scroll down for the complete list, updating as additional names are announced.
These awards don’t judge artists based on quality, per se, but on their commercial success. Winners are determined by the same metrics that decide the weekly Billboard charts, including record sales, online streams, radio airplay, touring and social engagement. Based on those metrics, The Weeknd is the most nominated artist for the second year in a row with 17, which is one more than he got last year when he dominated the awards with 10 wins including Top Artist. Doja Cat is the leading female artist with 14 citations.
Both The Weeknd and Doja Cat are up for the Top Artist award this year, as are Drake, Taylor Swift, and Olivia Rodrigo. Receiving the honorary Billboard Icon Award for her career achievements is Mary J. Blige. The R&B/hip-hop trailblazer follows previous legendary champs including Stevie Wonder, Prince, Janet Jackson, and Mariah Carey.
These awards recognize chart achievements from April 10, 2021 through March 26, 2022, which means the awards include some of last year’s most dominant hits like Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U” and Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA, plus other songs that have peaked more recently including Glass Animals‘ “Heat Waves,” Gayle‘s “ABCDEFU,” and the “Encanto” soundtrack. Who would you like to see honored, and who are you most excited to see taking the stage?
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Rauw Alejandro
Image Credit: Jorge A Ramirez Portela/Newscom/The Mega Agency This will be his first performance at the BBMAs. He’s nominated for four awards this year including Top Latin Artist.
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AleXa
Image Credit: Trae Patton/NBC The K-pop singer is performing at the BBMAs after winning the inaugural American Song Contest.
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Becky G
Image Credit: Rob Latour/Variety She has been nominated for one Billboard Music Award and seven Billboard Latin Music Awards.
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Mary J. Blige
Image Credit: Paul Zimmerman/Variety She will be performing in celebration of the Billboard Icon Award she will be receiving for her career achievements. She previously won 10 competitive BBMAs.
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Burna Boy
Image Credit: Michael Buckner for PMC The Nigerian performer will perform at the BBMAs for the first time. He has yet to be nominated at these awards, but he is a Grammy-winning global music star.
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Dan and Shay
Image Credit: Rosalind O'Connor/NBC They’re BBMA nominees this year for Top Country Duo/Group, an award they previously won in 2019 and 2020.
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Florence and the Machine
Image Credit: Griffin Lotz for Rolling Stone The Florence Welch-led band has two previous BBMA nominations. Their new album “Dance Fever” was scheduled for release on May 13, two days before the ceremony.
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Elle King
Image Credit: Francis Specker/CBS She’s nominated for Top Rock Song for “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home),” her duet with Miranda Lambert.
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Miranda Lambert
Image Credit: Ellen Von Unwerth/Miranda Lambert She has two BBMA nominations this year including Top Country Female Artist.
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Latto
Image Credit: Michael Buckner for PMC She will be making her BBMAs performance debut. This year she’s nominated for Best Rap Female Artist.
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Machine Gun Kelly
Image Credit: Christopher Polk for Variety He won his first two BBMAs in 2021, and this year he hopes to defend his title for Top Rock Artist.
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Maxwell
Image Credit: John Salangsang/Variety The R&B veteran is a three-time Grammy winner, but he has yet to win a Billboard Music Award.
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Megan Thee Stallion
Image Credit: Courtesy of Emilio Coochie This will be Megan’s BBMAs perforance debut. She won Top Rap Female Artist in 2021, and she’s nominated in that category again this year.
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Travis Scott
Image Credit: Michael Candelori/Variety The rapper is a past BBMA winner and a nominee this year for Top Dance/Electronic Song. This will be his first performance since 10 people died during his performance at the Astroworld Festival last November.
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Ed Sheeran
Image Credit: Dan Martensen He’s a seven-time BBMA winner including Top Artist in 2018. This year he’s a nine-time nominee. He’ll be performing from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
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Silk Sonic
Image Credit: Courtesy of Warner Music Group Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak will be performing together at the BBMAs for the first time. They have four BBMA nominations this year. Individually, Mars has won six times while Paak has yet to win a Billboard honor.
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Morgan Wallen
Image Credit: Christopher Polk for Variety The country singer was invited to perform at the 2022 BBMAs despite being banned from the 2021 ceremony due to leaked video of him using a racial slur. He’s a three-time BBMA winner and a four-time nominee this year.
