The 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards is in the books, with three country artists honored with trophies during last night’s ceremony.
Song of the Year honors went to Sam Hunt’s inescapable hit “Body Like A Back Road,” while Luke Combs was named New Country Artist of the Year, and Thomas Rhett took home Country Artist of the Year.
- The ceremony also honored Bon Jovi with the iHeartRadio Icon Award, and Jon offered some advice to young artists, telling them to “stay true to who you are,” so one day they’ll to be icons too. They also performed two of their biggest hits, “It’s My Life” and “You Give Love A Bad Name.”
- Chance the Rapper was honored with the 2018 iHeartRadio Innovator Award, and admitted he feels “very young” and “undeserving” of everything that’s happened to him. He also insisted he didn’t innovate freedom in music and gave a shout out to artists like James Brown, Ray Charles, and Prince, as well as “contemporary women,” like Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
- Camila Cabello received the first-ever Fangirls Award, sponsored by L'Oréal Paris, and sent a message to her fans telling them “where you come from doesn’t determine where you’re going,” and reminding them “you can do anything you set your mind to.”
- Although she didn’t perform during the show, Taylor Swift still gave fans something to talk about, debuting the video for her latest single “Delicate.” For more on the video click here.
Of course the show was packed with over-the-top performances, including
- Cardi B opened the show in a biker outfit for a medley that included “Bartier Cardi,” her verses on “MotorSport,” “No Limit” with a guest appearance by G-Eazy, and her contribution to Bruno Mars’ “Finesse,” and, of course her hit “Bodak Yellow.”
- Ed Sheeran actually went low-key with his performance of his hit “Perfect.” The singer was in Melbourne, Australia, where he accepted his trophy for Song of the Year and then proceeded to perform in what appeared to be an alley surrounded adoring, and singing, by fans.
- Camila Cabello performed her hit “Havana,” featuring an appearance by Young Thug. Camila channeled Madonna’s “Material Girl” video for the performance, wearing a similar pink dress and surrounding herself with tuxedoed male dancers.
- Maroon 5 gave a somewhat lackluster performance of their latest single “Wait,” although Adam Levine did work hard to hit those high notes.
- Eminem took the stage with Kehlani for a performance of the gun violence themed song “Nowhere Fast,” after being introduced by Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Alex Moscou, who called out politicians who are doing nothing about the gun problem in America, urging the public to join the March For Our Lives on March 24th
- Charlie Puth, and what looked like a new perm, performed his single “How Long Has This Been Going On.”
- N.E.R.D. closed the show with their latest single “Lemon,” although Rihanna wasn’t there. They were backed by a team of glitter-covered dancers with cameras getting lots of close ups of their booty shaking.
2018 iHeartRadio Music Award Winners (Click here for the complete list)
Country Song of the Year
- "Body Like A Back Road" - Sam Hunt - WINNER
- "Dirt On My Boots" - Jon Pardi
- "Hurricane" - Luke Combs
- "Small Town Boy" - Dustin Lynch
- "Unforgettable" - Thomas Rhett
Country Artist of the Year
- Blake Shelton
- Jason Aldean
- Luke Bryan
- Sam Hunt
- Thomas Rhett – WINNER
Best New Country Artist
- Brett Young
- Jon Pardi
- Kane Brown
- Lauren Alaina
- Luke Combs - WINNER
Source: Dr. Dave's Ultimate Prep