Iggy Azalea, Sam Smith Lead Pack for 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift earn four nominations each in a strong year for female artists
Artists Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea, Luke Bryan, Sam Smith and Taylor Swift are set to compete as artist-of-the-year finalists for the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards, which were announced Wednesday.
Azalea and Smith lead the pack with five nominations each, while Swift and Grande each earned four as the show returns to Los Angeles and the Shrine Auditorium for a live broadcast on Sunday, March 29 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
Fan votes will determine three categories this year: Best Fan Army, Best Lyrics and the newest category, the Renegade Award, sponsored by Jeep and going to an artist who “defies convention and breaks boundaries.”
Inaugural “Renegade” nominees are Brantley Gilbert, Charli XCX, Hozier, Azalea and Meghan Trainor.
Others nominated in top categories included:
Song of the Year
- “All About That Bass” – Meghan Trainor
- “All of Me” – John Legend
- “Happy” – Pharrell Williams
- “Shake It Off” – Taylor Swift
- “Stay with Me” – Sam Smith
Best Collaboration
- “Bang Bang” – Jessie J + Ariana Grande + Nicki Minaj
- “Dark Horse” – Katy Perry featuring Juicy J
- “Fancy” – Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX
- “Problem” – Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea
- “Talk Dirty” – Jason Derulo featuring 2 Chainz
Best New Artist
- Bastille
- Cole Swindell
- Iggy Azalea
- Meghan Trainor
- Sam Smith
Country Song of the Year
- “Bartender” – Lady Antebellum
- “Burnin’ It Down” – Jason Aldean
- “Dirt” – Florida Georgia Line
- “Give Me Back My Hometown” – Eric Church
- “Play It Again” – Luke Bryan
Hip Hop/R&B Song of the Year
Dance Song of the Year
- “Animals” – Martin Gary
- “Blame” – Calvin Harris featuring John Newman
- “La La La” – Naughty Boy featuring Sam Smith
- “Summer” – Calvin Harris
- “Waves” – Mr. Probe
Alternative Rock Song of the Year
- “Come with Me Now” – KONGOS
- “Do I Wanna Know?” – Arctic Monkeys
- “Fever” – The Black Keys
- “Something from Nothing” – Foo Fighters
- “Take Me to Church” – Hozier
Best Lyrics
- “All of Me” – John Legend
- “Blank Space” – Taylor Swift
- “Counting Stars” – OneRepublic
- “Habits (Stay High)” – Tove Lo
- “Stay with Me” – Sam Smith
- “Thinking Out Loud” – Ed Sheeran
Best Fan Army
- 5SOSFAM – 5 Seconds of Summer
- Arianators – Ariana Grande
- Bey Hive – Beyoncé
- Team Breezy – Chris Brown
- Sheerios – Ed Sheeran
- Church Choir – Eric Church
- Directioners – One Direction
- Selenators – Selena Gomez
- Mendes Army – Shawn Mendes
- Swifties – Taylor Swift
The three-hour show will be broadcast simultaneously on iHeartMedia stations nationwide and across the iHeartRadio digital music platform. Fan voting begins on March 2 and continues through March 20.