Billboard Music Awards: What to Expect From the Star-Studded Show
From the performances to the nominations, get all the details here.
-- The competition is stiff for the 2015 Billboard Music Awards, airing this weekend on ABC, live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Taylor Swift is the leading nominee, with 14 entries in 13 categories. Her pal Sam Smith -- who'll be missing the show due to vocal cord surgery -- is nominated for 13 awards in 13 categories. They're both competing for Top Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, and Top Digital Songs Artist.
Other top nominees include rapper Iggy Azalea, a finalist with 12 nominations in 11 categories, and Meghan Trainor, with nominations in nine different categories.
"I love the Billboard Awards," gushed Swift in a clip from Countdown to the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. "I always have a great time and I love the fact that the awards are, are based on what the fans have actually decided to invest in and buy."
While Swift isn't performing this year, she'll make a huge impression on the telecast: It'll start with her star-studded video for "Bad Blood," which features the likes of Lena Dunham, Jessica Alba, rapper Kendrick Lamar, Ellen Pompeo, Mariska Hargitay, Hailee Steinfeld, Karlie Kloss, Paramore's Hayley Williams, Ellie Goulding and more, all playing characters with names like "Luna," "Justice," "Knockout," "Destructa X" and "Dilemma." Swift herself is portraying someone named "Catastrophe," and all we know is that there will be fighting involved.
In Countdown to the 2015 Billboard Music Awards, Swift explained the thinking behind the video's concept.
"Let's have them play assassins in a music video," she said. "They are metaphorically killing it. They are also playing killers."
Swift, Azalea and Trainor are all up for the only fan-voted category: the Billboard Chart Achievement Award presented by Samsung, recognizing each woman's huge chart success in the past year.
As far as who is performing on the telecast, the list includes Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Imagine Dragons, Hozier, Nick Jonas, Tori Kelly, Ed Sheeran, Van Halen, Kanye West, the stars of Empire, Fall Out Boy featuring Wiz Khalifa, Nicki Minaj and David Guetta, Kanye West, Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea, Meghan Trainor featuring John Legend, Pitbull and Chris Brown, Fifth Harmony and Wiz Khalifa, Charlie Puth and Lindsey Stirling. In addition, legendary '80s band Simple Minds will salute the 30th anniversary of their song from the movie The Breakfast Club, "Don't You (Forget About Me)."
The BBMAs will be hosted by rapper/actor Ludacris and model and host Chrissy Teigen. Ludacris told ABC News that of all this year's nominees, he was most impressed by the success of one particular singer.
"I think every year we have someone who is just like a standout person in music and I think Sam Smith takes that cake for this year," he said. "I think he said it best when he won his Grammy. He was like, once he just started being completely honest and pouring his heart out, then everyone started gravitating toward his music and it shined. And I’m extremely happy for him."
The rapper and "Furious 7" star also noted what makes the Billboard Awards different from all the other awards shows out there: They reward the artists and the music that have been most successful on the Billboard charts by measuring actual data: album and digital songs sales, radio airplay, streaming, touring and social interactions.
"It’s based off the charts and it’s not like you can say you don’t know how someone won or certain things like that. So it is based off the people," he explained.
The 2015 Billboard Music Awards air Sunday night, May 17, live on ABC, starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Here are the nominations:
Top Artist
Top Billboard 200 Album
Top Male Artist
Top Female Artist
Top Hot 100 Song
Top New Artist
Top Duo/Group
Top Billboard 200 Artist
Top Radio Songs
Top Touring Artist
Top Social Artist
Top Streaming Artist
Top R&B Artist
Top Digital Songs Artist
Top Rap Artist
Top Country Artist
Top Rock Artist
Top Latin Artist
Top Dance/Electronic Artist
Top Soundtrack
Top R&B Album
Top Rap Album
Top Country Album
Top Rock Album
Top Latin Album
Top Dance/Electronic Album
Top Digital Song
Top Radio Song
Top Streaming Song (Audio)
Top Streaming Song (Video)
Top R&B Song
Top Rap Song
Top Country Song
Top Rock Song
Top Latin Song
Top Dance/Electronic Song
FAN VOTED AWARD
Billboard Chart Achievement Award presented by Samsung