iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026: Who’s Nominated And Performing

The music world turns its attention to Hollywood as the iHeartRadio Music Awards return to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles with Ludacris as this year’s host for a ceremony that will include an appearance from Taylor Swift, special honors for Miley Cyrus and John Mellencamp, a historic R&B/hip-hop girl group team-up and more.

Broadcasting live on FOX tonight, March 26, the iHeartRadio Music Awards aims to celebrate top-played music heard throughout the year across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and the fandom cultures that permeate across its digital music platforms. Beyond the many music categories, fans were also able to vote for winners in several new and established categories for the show including Favorite Debut Album, Best Music Video, Favorite TikTok Dance, Best Lyrics, Favorite Soundtrack, Favorite K-Pop Collab and more. Taylor Swift is the artist with both the most nominations in the show’s history (with 75 nods) and wins (currently at 34 with the potential to pick up nine more wins at this year’s show).

The 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards also feature several special, non-competitive awards. Miley Cyrus will accept the iHeartRadio Innovator Award, a recognition that comes as the singer-actress is celebrating 20 years since her start with Disney’s Hannah Montana. Ludacris will receive the iHeartRadio Landmark Award, a tribute to his long-running career in hip-hop and acting. John Mellencamp will receive the 2026 iHeartRadio Icon Award and perform ahead of his upcoming Dancing Words Tour — The Greatest Hits trek this summer. “Ordinary” singer Alex Warren was also named the Breakthrough Artist of the Year for this year’s show.

The winners started rolling out at noon ET ahead of the ceremony, CORTIS earned the first trophy being named Best K-Pop New Artist.

This year’s iHearts will also include live performances from Mellencamp, Warren, RAYE, Kehlani, Lainey Wilson, and a historic joint set from TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue.

The 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards broadcast live on FOX on Thursday, March 26, at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT. Read on for the full list of nominees and stay tuned for the full winners list as they are announced on March 26, 2026.

2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards Nominees & Winners – Main Categories

Song of the Year

• “Good News” – Shaboozey

• “Love Somebody” – Morgan Wallen

• “Luther” – Kendrick Lamar and SZA

• “Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter

• “Ordinary” – Alex Warren

• “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” – Benson Boone

• “Stargazing” – Myles Smith

• “The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift

Artist of the Year

Duo/Group of the Year

• HUNRT/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami

Best Collaboration

• “All the Way” – BigXthaPlug featuring Bailey Zimmerman

• “APT.” – Rosé and Bruno Mars

• “Luther” – Kendrick Lamar and SZA

• “Timeless” – The Weeknd featuring Playboi Carti

• “Whatchu Kno About Me” – GloRilla featuring Sexyy Red

Pop Artist of the Year

Best New Pop Artist

Pop Song of the Year

• “Golden” – HUNRT/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami

• “Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter

• “Ordinary” – Alex Warren

• “Pink Pony Club” – Chappell Roan

• “The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift

Country Song of the Year

• “After All the Bars Are Closed” – Thomas Rhett

• “Good News” – Shaboozey

• “Love Somebody” – Morgan Wallen

• “Whiskey Drink” – Jason Aldean

Country Artist of the Year

Best New Country Artist

Hip-Hop Song of the Year

• “Luther” – Kendrick Lamar and SZA

• “The Largest” – BigXthaPlug

• “Whatchu Kno About Me” – GloRilla featuring Sexyy Red

Hip-Hop Artist of the Year

Best New Hip-Hop Artist

R&B Song of the Year

• “Burning Blue” – Mariah the Scientist

• “Residuals” – Chris Brown

• “Somebody Loves Me” – PartyNextDoor & Drake

R&B Artist of the Year

Best New R&B Artist

World Artist of the Year

Alternative Song of the Year

• “Back to Friends” – Sombr

• “One Eyed Bastard” – Green Day

• “Stargazing” – Myles Smith

• “The Contract” – Twenty One Pilots

Alternative Artist of the Year

Best New Alternative Artist

Rock Song of the Year

• “Afterlife” – Evanescence

• “Bad Guy” – Falling in Reverse featuring Saraya

• “Dance, Kid, Dance” – Shinedown

• “Even If It Kills Me” – Papa Roach

• “Heavy Is the Crown” – Linkin Park

Rock Artist of the Year

Best New Rock Artist

Dance Song of the Year

• “Blessings” – Calvin Harris featuring Clementine Douglas

• “In My Arms” – Illenium and Hayla

• “No Broke Boys” – Disco Lines and Tinashe

• “Save My Love” – Marshmello, Ellie Goulding and Avaion

• “Won’t Be Possible” – Tiësto, Odd Mob and Goodboys

Dance Artist of the Year

Latin Pop/Urban Song of the Year

• “Angel” – Grupo Frontera and Romeo Santos

• “Degenere” – Myke Towers and Benny Blanco

• “Qué Pasaría…” – Rauw Alejandro and Bad Bunny

Latin Pop/Urban Artist of the Year

Best New Latin/Urban Artist

Regional Mexican Song of the Year

• “Amor Bonito” – Luis Angel “El Flaco”

• “El Amor de Mi Vida” – Calibre 50

• “Hecha Pa’ Mi” – Grupo Frontera

• “Lejos Estamos Mejor” – Edén Muñoz

Regional Mexican Artist of the Year

Best New Regional Mexican Artist

K-Pop Artist of the Year

K-Pop Group of the Year

K-Pop Song of the Year

• “APT.” – Rosé and Bruno Mars

• “Golden” – HUNRT/X EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami

• “Killin’ It Girl” – J-Hope featuring GloRilla

Best K-Pop New Artist

Songwriter of the Year

Producer of the Year

Breakthrough Artist of the Year

Album of the Year

Album of the Year (Per Genre)

2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards Nominees & Winners – Socially-Voted Categories

Best Lyrics

• “Baile Inolvidable” – Bad Bunny

• “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley

• “Daisies” – Justin Bieber

• “Golden” – HUNRT/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami

• “Man I Need” – Olivia Dean

• “Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter

• “Ordinary” – Alex Warren

• “The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift

• “Where Is My Husband!” – RAYE

Best Music Video

• “Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga

• “Baile Inolvidable” – Bad Bunny

• “Born Again” – Lisa featuring Doja Cat and RAYE

• “Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter

• “Ordinary” – Alex Warren

• “Sapphire” – Ed Sheeran

• “Shake It to the Max (Fly) (Remix)” – Moliy, Shenseea, Skillibeng and Silent Addy

• “The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift

• “Toxic Till the End” – Rosé

Favorite Debut Album

• You’ll Be Alright, Kid – Alex Warren

• Who’s the Clown? – Audrey Hobert

• Order Chaos Order – Calum Hood

• Why Not More? – Coco Jones

• That’s Showbiz Baby – Jade

• Sidequest – Michael Clifford

• I Barely Know Her – Sombr

• What Not To – Tucker Wetmore

Favorite K-Pop Collab

• “Blink” – Corbyn Besson and Tzuyu of TWICE

• “Born Again” – Lisa featuring Doja Cat and RAYE

• “Buck” – Jackson Wang featuring Diljit Dosanjh

• “Confessions” – Flo Rida, Heeseung and Jake of ENHYPEN, and Paul Russell

• “Dirty Work” – aespa featuring Flo Milli

• “ExtraL” – Jennie and Doechii

• “Eyes Closed” – Jisoo and Zayn

• “Illegal” – PinkPantheress and SEVENTEEN

• “On My Mind” – Alex Warren and Rosé

• “Sweet Dreams” – J-Hope featuring Miguel

• “Too Bad” – G-Dragon featuring Anderson .Paak

• “We Pray (Twice version)” – Coldplay, TWICE, Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna and Tini

Favorite TikTok Dance

• “Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga

• “Happen to Me” – Russell Dickerson

• “Midnight Sun” – Zara Larsson

• “Revolving Door” – Tate McRae

• “Spaghetti” – LE SSERAFIM and J-Hope

• “The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift

Favorite On Screen

• AJ McLean, Nicole Scherzinger, Liam Payne, Kelly Rowland – Building the Band

• Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: For Good

• Bad Bunny – Happy Gilmore 2

• Ed Sheeran – One Shot with Ed Sheeran: A Musical Experience

• Jimin and Jung Kook – Are You Sure?

• Jonas Brothers – A Very Jonas Christmas Movie

• Karol G – Karol G: Tomorrow Was Beautiful

• Taylor Swift – Taylor Swift: The End of an Era

• Zara Larsson – Up Close

Favorite Tour Photographer

• Abby Waisler – Gracie Abrams

• Adam DeGross – Post Malone

• Chris Cornejo – Shakira

• Cynthia Parkhurst – Katy Perry

• Henry Hwu – Billie Eilish

• Thomas Falcone – Shawn Mendes

Favorite Tour Style

• Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour

• Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter Tour

• Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour

• BLACKPINK – Deadline World Tour

• Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism Tour

• Ella Langley – Still Hungover Tour

• KATSEYE – Beautiful Chaos Tour

• Lady Gaga – The Mayhem Ball

• Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet Tour

• Tate McRae – Miss Possessive Tour

• Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour

• Zara Larsson – Midnight Sun Tour

Favorite Tour Tradition

• Benson Boone – Cover song

• Beyoncé – Blue Ivy and Rumi on stage

• Billie Eilish – “When the Party’s Over” silent loop

• Dua Lipa – Surprise guest

• Jonas Brothers – Surprise guest

• KATSEYE – “Gnarly” dance break

• Lainey Wilson – Cowgirl of the night

• Sabrina Carpenter – Celebrity “Juno” arrest

• Tate McRae – Fan cam on stage

• Zara Larsson – “Lush Life” star

Favorite Broadway Debut

• Ashley Graham – Chicago

• Cheryl Porter – & Juliet

• Durrell “Tank” Babbs – Hell’s Kitchen

• Gabrielle Nevaeh Green – Stranger Things: The First Shadow

• Kelsie Watts – Six! The Musical

• Lizzy McAlpine – Floyd Collins

• Meg Donnelly – Moulin Rouge! The Musical

• Tom Felton – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

• Trisha Paytas – Beetlejuice

Favorite Soundtrack

• A Very Jonas Christmas Movie

• Nobody Wants This – Season 2

• Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

• Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires

2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards – Special Awards

iHeartRadio Innovator

iHeartRadio Landmark Award

iHeartRadio Icon Award

Stay tuned for more live updates from the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards as the show continues.