2017 is shaping up to be a great year for Drake.
The nominations for the Billboard Music Awards are here, and Drake and the Chainsmokers have plenty to smile about. The rapper and the EDM duo earned a whopping 22 nominations each, which ties the awards ceremony's record for the most nominations in a year.
Drake is nominated for Top Artist, Top Male Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Rap Artist, Top Rap Tour, Top Billboard 200 Album, and plenty more. The Chainsmokers are nominated for Top Dance/Electronic Album, Top Hot 100 Song, Top Radio Song, and a slew of other categories.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
After Drake and the Chainsmokers, Twenty One Pilots also has an impressive number (17!) of Billboards nods, including Top Artist and Top Billboard 200 Artist. Rihanna also has 14 nominations, including Top Artist, Top Female Artist, and Top 100 artist.
In terms of new artists, Shawn Mendes earned his first ever Billboards nods this time around. He's nominated for Top Artist and Top Male Artist.
And if you're wondering just how Billboard determines the nominees for the show's 52 categories, you're not alone. The awards focus on different categories than other shows do, and it's for good reason. As with the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, engagement is key. According to a press release from Billboard, the nominations are "based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital songs sales, streaming, radio airplay, touring, and social engagement." (The data comes from Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound.) The 2017 awards are based on the year-long period from March 18, 2016 to March 16, 2017.
The Billboard Music Awards will air on ABC on May 21. If you're not over awards season yet — and after this year's Oscars, who is? — it looks like it'll be a pretty fun show. Plus, there's potential fan drama ahead — Adele and Beyoncé are both nominated for Top Artist. And after February's Grammy Awards, that's a contentious category, even if Adele's on the same page as the rest of us are about Lemonade. The nominees, undoubtedly, will be nothing but gracious to each other, but there's no telling how fans will react to the winner. It's safe to say we can expect plenty of memes and reaction tweets that night.
Check out the full list of nominees over at Billboard.